Toy Bowl gets major boost at minor league park
The Warren County Youth Football League’s Toy Bowl championship Saturday will have a much grander atmosphere than ever before.
The Toy Bowl will take place at Bowling Green Ballpark for the first time.
League President Jason Tunks said he was thrilled to learn that the Toy Bowl would be at the ballpark.
“I think it’s absolutely great,” he said. “The kids, they’re going to remember it for the rest of their lives.”
The league held its previous two toy bowls at Warren Central and Warren East high schools, he said.
“Ninety-nine percent of them will never get to play on a professional field like this,” he said. “This is something they can tell their kids and grandkids about.”
The Division I championship game between the Colts and Broncos will be at 10 a.m. The Division II game between the Saints and Cowboys is scheduled for noon, Tunks said.
To prepare for the Toy Bowl, employees from Warren County’s Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees the league, drew the lines needed for the football field, according to Eric Leach, the Hot Rods’ general manager.
The temporary football field takes up parts of right and center field, he said.
The parks department is bringing in eight of its own bleachers for spectators to use, and 900 stadium seats in sections 101 through 103 will be available as well, Leach said.
Hosting the Toy Bowl is part of the Hot Rods’ efforts at community involvement and outreach, he said. “We just want to be engaged and involved in the community, and this just made so much sense to me,” he said.
Leach said he played youth football and would have loved the opportunity to play in such a large venue.
“I think it just gives kids a different feel, and it just makes it feel like it’s such a big deal,” he said.
For the event, the teams’ logos will be on the ballpark’s scoreboard and the Hot Rods are talking with the parks department about providing player introductions.
Attendance for Toy Bowl spectators will be free, he said.
Chris Kummer, director of the parks department, said holding the Toy Bowl at the ballpark has not cost the department anything.
He said he wants to provide unique experiences for children in the youth league and that the Hot Rods have been supportive of this effort.
“We hope to continue the partnership,” he said. “The Hot Rods are very supportive and they have a beautiful venue.”
— Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.