Chatham Recreation Moves to Club Model

Recreational baseball and soccer will move completely over to club operations and out of the umbrella of Chatham Recreation, if two resolutions pass the Chatham Borough Council Monday.

The Chathams have been moving toward the model of letting sports clubs operate their recreational sports teams for a year. Clubs will hire coaches, who must adhere to the same standards they had under Chatham Recreation, including background checks and first aid certification.

Soccer will be run by the Chatham United Soccer Club, and baseball will be run by the Baseball Club of Chatham.

Also, club sports must provide teams for players with various skill levels and allow kids to participate and play as long as there are enough players to make a team.

Clubs must also obtain and pay for equipment, uniforms and insurance policies which cover coaches, players and staff.

The recreation department, meanwhile, will dispense funds and other field resources for the clubs, and assign fields for games and practices. In return, each club will pay a fee into the Field Maintenance Trust.

Each club model up for vote Monday, baseball and soccer, will also have the right to add a member of the Chatham Joint Recreation Advisory Committee to the club boards. A club board member may also sit in on meetings of the recreation advisory committee.

The Chatham Borough Council meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Chatham Borough Municipal Building. A full copy of the agenda is attached to this article.