Olney Boys & Girls Club Receives $2.75 Million in State Grants to Build Baseball Stadium and Multi-Sport Training Facility

The State of Maryland has awarded the Olney Boys & Girls Club with a $1 million grant to create a stadium with new dugouts, seating, lights, as well as additional field improvements, and a $1.75 million grant to build a multi–sport training facility, including a Med–Star–led rehab facility and courts and fields for soccer, basketball, baseball, football, lacrosse, softball, field hockey, wrestling, and a long–desired volleyball program.

The facility will feature indoor turf training fields and indoor batting cages. The new stadium will be the future home to the Cropdusters, a summer collegiate baseball team made up of talented players from around the country. It will be located at OGBC Park and specifics are being worked on now. Cropduster games will offer the community a family–friendly activity featuring autograph booths, giveaways, and opportunities for kids to be a part of the game. The team will compete in the Cal Ripken league beginning summer 2022, and games will be played at the Olney Boys & Girls Club field.

The stadium is expected to be completed by summer 2023. “We are thrilled to build a facility that will offer the community a gathering place and a center for boys and girls in Olney and the surrounding areas to develop a love of team sports,” said Brad Scott, Executive Director of the Olney Boys & Girls Club. “With the training facility, we willbe able to provide facilities for sports such as girls volleyball that we have not been able tosupport previously.”

“We couldn’t have accomplished this without the support of Maryland State Senator, Craig Zucker, as well as the District 14 delegation who were instrumental in helping us secure thesegrants. Their commitment to Olney’s young athletes will help us create a world–class facility,” Scott continued. “For decades, The Olney Boys and Girls Club has provided youth in the Greater Olney community with unparalleled access and exposure to athletic training and competitive team sports. Their signature athletic programs have garnered a reputation for not only training some of the area’s most talented athletes, but also for instilling the importance of academics and the character traits needed for Olney youth to excel at local, state and national levels. We’re excited to see the program expand to provide even greater services to the youth in our community,” said MedStar Montgomery Medical Center President Thomas J. Senker.“

As OBGC’s sports medicine partner, MedStar Health is grateful to Maryland State Senator Craig Zucker and the District 14 delegation for their advocacy on behalf of the Olney community and to the State of Maryland for this notable investment in our youth,” Senker said.“We are extremely excited about this amazing project and the positive impact it will have forour entire community. The major state investment we make today, will soon benefit generations of Marylanders,” said Senator Craig J. Zucker, Delegate Anne Kaiser, Delegate Eric Luedtke and Pamela Queen.

The Olney Boys and Girls Club (OBGC) provides children of all ages with structured and safe programs that emphasize physical, social, and emotional development. Offering both recreational and competitive opportunities over a spectrum of sports, OBGC helps kids to build confidence, self-esteem, and leadership while striving to cultivate a lifelong interest in sport, health, and teamwork.