Rogue Youth Baseball Games Played on Closed Fields

A California town is locking down its community baseball field at a local park after youth games were played on the field in violation of local COVID-19 restrictions.

The Fremont recreation department is trying to find out who was behind the illicit games, calling them a “brazen” violation of county health orders.

On Saturday and Sunday last weekend, multiple games were reportedly played on Sigma Field at Centerville Community Park. The games were complete with coaches, umpires and people watching from the bleachers.

None of the players appeared to be wearing masks, nor were any to the people at the games observing social distancing guidelines.

Suzanne Wolf, Fremont’s community services director, told The Mercury News that people who had used the field prior to the pandemic complained about the games.

“We did not approve this,” Wolf said. “We want to ensure that the health order is being complied with in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.”

The teams who played on the fields allegedly removed posted signs that said the fields were closed. The city has now changed the locks at both the softball and baseball fields.

“When we hear of this type of brazen event, we are surprised and we really want to work with the team to understand why they would do this… and to make sure that we have better communication and better understanding moving forward,” Wolf said.

Alameda County’s current health order states that “sports or activities that include the use of shared equipment or physical contact between participants may only be engaged in by members of the same household or living unit.” The order includes exceptions for pickleball and tennis so long as only two people from a maximum of two households are playing.