{"id":203,"date":"2024-04-21T22:57:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T22:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d7.todhunter.ca\/?page_id=203"},"modified":"2024-06-12T18:42:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:42:24","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Little League"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The History of Little League<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1950<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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British Columbia is home to Canada\u2019s first Little League charter. In 1950, the Vancouver Jaycee Little League was formed along with a league in Sydney, Nova Scotia, as Little League Baseball began to expand outside of the United States for the first time. Little League Baseball has been played in Canada since 1951. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, British Columbia were the first leagues outside the United States.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1952<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On November 10, 1952, the Victoria Junior Chamber of Commerce (often called \u201cthe Jaycees\u201d) announced that Little League Baseball was coming to Victoria in the spring of 1953.<\/span><\/p>

Plans to form the league were started by Ron Compston and Jim Nichol who led a committee formed by the Jaycees to gather facts and apply to Little League Baseball headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for a franchise. Only four teams were allowed, made up of 8-12 year old boys.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce responsible for bringing Little League baseball to Victoria in 1953.<\/span><\/p>

In 1952, Montreal, Quebec was the first foreign entry in the Little League World Series. In 1953, Little Mountain Little League of Vancouver advanced to the World Series as representative of the Western Region.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1953<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1953, Little League baseball in Victoria was expanded by four teams with the creation of a second league \u2014 the American League \u2014 to play alongside the existing four teams of the National League at Little League Park at Hillside Avenue and Cook Street. This event was huge for Oak Bay kids as the American League\u2019s four new teams opened the door to pre-teen boys living outside City limits. Approximately 500 leagues now operate in Canada, making it the second-largest country in Little League participation.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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These four new teams, sponsored by and named after service organizations, were the Kinsmen, Lions, Elks and Oak Bay Kiwanis. On May 17, 1953, the first games, a double header, were played at the new \u201cVictoria Jaycee Little League.\u201d The ball park wasn\u2019t even finished \u2013 there was no grass on the field! But that didn\u2019t stop the 1,500 spectators from coming out to support the little leaguers.<\/span><\/p>

In 1953 Little Mountain Little League, Vancouver, B.C. advanced to the World Series as representative of the Western Region. This is also the year that eventual Canadian Baseball of Fame inductee Doug Hudlin umpires his first game at the park.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1954<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1954, the \u201cVictoria Jaycee Little League\u201d was renamed as \u201cVictoria National Little League\u201d to accommodate an expansion by the Jaycees to form another four teams in a separate \u201cAmerican\u201d Little League.<\/span><\/p>

Victoria now had two leagues just like the MLB and grass was finally on the field! Both leagues played out of the same ball park until the American Little League moved to their own ball park in Saanich.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1957<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the 1957 International Congress in Houston, Texas, Mr. Peter J. McGovern, President & Chairman of the Board of Directors, Little League Baseball , Inc., announced the appointment of Commander John P. Singleton R.C.N. (Retired) as Director General of Little League Baseball Canada, with an office in Ottawa, Ontario.<\/span><\/p>

Today there are over 30 leagues organized into six districts across the province, including charters on Vancouver Island, in interior British Columbia, and across the Vancouver metro area. Champions from these six districts, along with a host league, compete in a provincial tournament that determines British Columbia\u2019s representative at the Canadian Region tournament. The Canadian champion then advances to the Little League World Series.<\/span><\/p>

Thirty British Columbia leagues have reached the Little League World Series, including the province\u2019s most recent qualifier, Little Mountain Little League in 2022. Whalley has won six Canadian championships, the most among British Columbia leagues, and Trail Little League has won five.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1973<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In April 1973 Little League Baseball Canada was incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act with affiliation to Little League Baseball, Incorporated. At the Canadian Little League Championships in Victoria, B.C. in August 1973, the Canadian operation was placed in the hands of the Board of Directors of Little League Baseball Canada.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1992<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Canada Baseball of Fame inductee Doug Hudlin umpires the last game of his career, the National Little League Majors final, and is honoured at the closing ceremonies.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Doug\u2019s family have been playing baseball for decades. With brothers and cousins, he played for \u201cThe Brown Bombers\u201d, 1939-1940, in Victoria.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Doug Hudlin was born in Victoria in 1922 and\u00a0inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. He served as an umpire for over 40 years, beginning and ending his career at National Little League\u2019s home field.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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2017<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 2017, the City of Victoria recognized June 11 as Doug Hudlin Day. Doug was a long serving employee of the City and was chosen as the first non-American umpire – and the only Black non-American umpire – to work the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and did so twice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Doug was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, the BC Baseball Umpires Association Hall of Fame, and has been recognized at National Little League Park and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also a Little League Umpire Alumni and a founding member of the British Columbia Black History Awareness Society.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Doug Hudlin Award<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Doug Hudlin was born in Victoria in 1922 and\u00a0inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. He served as an umpire for over 40 years, beginning and ending his career at National Little League\u2019s home field.<\/span><\/p>

The Doug Hudlin award goes to a junior umpire who is never late, never misses a shift, and has been deemed by their peers and the league to always be professional and respectful to players, fans, and coaches.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The History of Little League 1950 British Columbia is home to Canada\u2019s first Little League charter. In 1950, the Vancouver Jaycee Little League was formed along with a league in Sydney, Nova Scotia, as Little League Baseball began to expand outside of the United States for the first time. Little League Baseball has been played […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-203","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":146,"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2041,"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203\/revisions\/2041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bcd7littleleague.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}