After an exhilarating final week of the season (stats/standings will be updated later in the week), we find ourselves with a clear playoff picture for 2024.

As many of you know, in our league, every team no matter their record, has a chance to become champs and get your team name engraved on the golden discus!

Will your team join the likes of the Humber River Hungry Hungry Hippos (2023), Garrison Creek Gamma Rays (2022), Rouge River Rainbow Rebellion (2021), Rouge River Racoons (2019), Humber River Humdingers (2018), and the Rouge River Ballsheviks (2017) as Field of Dreamer legends? Each team’s path to immortality is visualized below!

PLAYOFF CULTURE
A reminder that while we encourage teams to do their gosh darn best to win during the playoffs, the spirit of our league is the primary moving force of our cosmos. This means, don’t stop cheering players from the other team! Don’t stop checking in to make sure folks are ok if they get hit on a play! Don’t stop smiling and dancing and playing and being joyful.

DO MAKE SURE THAT YOU MATCH EACH OTHER’S FREAK!
DO MAKE SURE THAT YOU STAY DEMURE AND MINDFUL!
DO MAKE SURE THAT YOU FINISH THIS BRAT SUMMER STRONG <3

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Week 1 – SEPT 15

• Game 1 – 8:00pm – Rouge River @ Garrison Creek
• Game 2 – 9:30pm – Humber River @ Credit River
• Bye: Don River

Week 2 – SEPT 22

• Game 1 – 8:00pm – Winner Rouge/Garrison @ Don River
• Game 2 – 9:30pm – Loser Rouge/Garrison @ Loser Humber/Credit
• Bye: Winner Humber/Credit Week 1

Championship Games – SEPT 29

• Game 1 – 8:00pm – Winner Game 2 (SEP 22) @ Loser Game 1 (SEP 22)
• Game 2 – 9:30pm Winner Game 2 (SEP 15) @ Winner Game 1 (SEP 22)
• Bye: Loser Game 2 Week 2

Field of Dreamers, Season 7

If you build it…

A wind. A breeze. A fly ball. A cheer from the crowd. A possibility. A community.

Field of Dreamers began as a respite and then a whisper. Our league originated way back in 2007 – as a space for organizers (primarily with No One Is Illegal-Toronto) to blow off some steam in the midst of daily organizing against deportations and detentions. Our team was made up of organizers both with and without migration status. We used it as a place to be social and make connection – and soon we began to invite organizers from other projects to join. Folks from the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, from the Oshkimaadziig Unity Camp, from CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group.

Many of us identified as queer/trans*/non-binary and playing in mainstream Toronto leagues like Toronto Sports and Social Club (now Jam Sports) was rife with misogyny, transphobia, and toxic masculinity. So, we began to whisper. What if we could create a space of play that both affirmed trans*/non-binary and other bodies that are often pushed out of organized sports and also created a space of encounter and connection for movement organizers, our extended friend networks, and the people who congregate at the parks that we play.

Bringing Field of Dreamers to life was a struggle but now it is in its 7th season and we have built a community both on the field and beyond. Many of our players have been organizing in various networks against the Israeli occupation and genocide in Gaza, we have supported the Toronto Encampment Network, Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction, Black Lives Matter and other movement work in the city through our league funds and social connections.

Last year, we hosted a talk at the Toronto Public Library to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Christie Pits riots – where Jewish baseball players fought back against Nazis marching to disrupt their game at Christie Pits park – the state did then as it is doing now and attacked those resisting fascism. Field of Dreamers honours and situates itself in the long tradition of queers fighting against authoritarianism – and within the longstanding struggles against settler colonialism, white supremacy, anti-Black racism, misogyny, and ableism.

Like all political projects – we are a work in progress – and like in baseball we acknowledge that failure is part of the process – we’re just trying to fail better.

Welcome to season 7 – thanks for joining in our community – and we invite you to also join with us in struggle.

Credit River Rascals (3-0-0)

Those silly rascals, they’ve got the northern touch. They are blasting balls all over the field. They are nearly making triple plays. They are getting teams to scramble and devise a plan to contain their potent offence! The Rascals have started the season with three convincing wins! Taking victories both close and distant from Humber, Rouge, and Garrison – Credit River starts the season with three wins and a lot of cheeky grins, those silly rascals.

Humber River Heartbreakers(0-3-1)

Some teams just live up to their name. Four games in and Humber has lost a number of heartbreakers – a tie, a one run loss, and a two run loss – a team that is going to get its footing a make you feel alllll the feels. So pack up your midwestern emo albums and bust out your sweet sultry soaking wet on the dance floor tracks – because Humber RIver is bound to get very hot as the summer starts to sizzle. Expect to see them hit their groove right around the Pride Game on July 7.

Rouge River Rendez-Vous (1-2-0)

There’s this spot I know, down the hill across the treeline. It’s close to the dog bowl in the park. There’s a memorial plaque there in memory of Will Munro. Will’s spirit of queer community building is where we rendez-vous at least once during the season – to recommit to the project of planting seeds, creating encounters, building the society’s we wish to see now. The Rouge River team is embodying such a spirit this season. With heart and grace they’ve earned a first week victory against Humber followed by two misses against Don and Credit.

We are excited to finally open registration to new players for the 2024 season! 

The Field of Dreamers Cooperative Softball Association was formed in 2017 with the intention of creating a recreational softball space based on the principles of mutual aid, body liberation, and radical re-imagining of sport. We invite you to be part of this history! 

ABOUT FIELD OF DREAMERS COOPERATIVE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION

Field of Dreamers began as a political project that not only seeks to create a space of play that affirms non-binary, trans* and other gender non-conforming identities but also that emphasizes the participations of Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and people with body types/skills that are typically not given respect in organized sport.  

What makes our league different?

• We see our league as a political project, and many of the players in the league are connected to grassroots movements in the city
• We are a relational league – all of our captains, organizers, umps, mentors, and cheerleaders are also players in the league. This means we run the league through each of us taking responsibility for participation, safety, coordination, and field prep. We also see ourselves as part of the Trinity Bellwoods community and seek to create positive and supportive relationships with other park users
• We organize our league into 5 houses (Credit, Humber, Don, Rouge, Garrison) that represent the waterways that give life to this city
• We prioritize mutual aid and mentorship – all skilled/experienced players have a role in teaching, coaching, and sharing skills with beginner/intermediate players
• We refuse the ‘co-ed’ sport model, instead constructing rosters through self-identified experience/skill and emphasizing that all players should be valued, respected, and given opportunity to learn, succeed, and fail!

2024 REGISTRATION:

• The 2024 season will be played from Sunday, May 5, 2024 to Sunday, October 6, 2024
• Games will be played, as usual, at Diamond #1 (SkyDome), Trinity Bellwoods Park. 
• Game #1 will begin at 8PM and Game #2 will begin at 9:30PM
• Registration fees will range on a sliding scale, depending on your ability to pay from $0-$130 this season, with an option to contribute to a solidarity fund that will help pay for another player’s registration 
• Registration will be open from Thursday Feb 29th, 8:00AM – Monday, March 5th 11:59pm ET
• We will be registering substitute players following open registration; this is a great way to participate if you can’t commit to a whole season and/or just want to try things out! Stay tuned for details.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

PAYMENTS

Once the registration period is over, you’ll hear back from us if your registration has been processed. Please note, registration is not first-come, first-served, but occurs in tiered priority.

KEY QUESTIONS

Q: How does registration work? 

A: Field of Dreamers does not operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.  We instead use a progressive registration process that emphasizes communities we seek to centralize in our league. Our league prioritizes the registrations of BIPOC queer/trans* folks, BIPOC folks in general, and other trans*/non-binary folks.  

We register new players in batches using a progressive system of registration that prioritizes folks who identify as part of the above communities. All other players who wish to register are then added to rosters thereafter and/or are invited to play as subs for the season (which gives you priority registration in subsequent seasons) if we run out of spots!

Q: What happens if roster spots fill and I don’t get into the league? 

A: While we wish we could accommodate all players who want to play in the league or spots are limited by our permit and capacity. We offer folks an opportunity to sign up as substitute players in the season, and those players are given priority to register in the following season. 

Q: How are teams decided? 

A: Teams are organized through our yearly draft. We draw on the self-represented skills you fill out in your registration form to divide each team evenly with players of a similar skill set. Once registered, you’ll be contacted to let you know about jerseys, draft day, and the opening week skillshare! 

Q: Can I register as a team or play with a friend? 

A: You cannot register a team in Field of Dreamers. Players are instead sorted into teams based on the draft. However, you may list one friend to be your “buddy.” Be sure that this same friend chooses you as their “buddy” too! When you are registered, you will be linked together in the draft and will be placed on the same team.

Let’s Make Baseball!!!