The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-14
WANT SITE FOR
ATHLETIC FIELD.
Suggested That City Give Speed
way in Byrd Park for This
Object.
MONEY TO BE RAISED
Necessity for Such Place for the
Boys and Young Men Of
Richmond.
MONEY TO BE RAISED

An organization to further the cause
OF giving Richmond an athletic field
wherein all amateur sports may be played
with free hand by the boys and young
men OF the city and by visiting amateur
teams will be formed within the next few
days. and tho hearty cooperation OF
many prominent and philosophical men
is assured. The idea OF this organization
will be to have the city furnish lot. as
has been done by many other cities, the
money to put the grounds into good shape
to be raised by the organization. Az
site the centre of the old speedway in
Byrd Park has been suggested.
Mr. Powhatan James, who has been
prominent In educational circles, In an
interview yesterday. said:
All work and no play makes Jack n
dull boy The Dispatch some
months ago saw the virtue in this old
adage, and wisely proposed the construc-
ton OF ono or more new athletic parks
in the city OF Richmond. The paper was
right Richmond needs an up-to-date park
for baseball football and track team
work. It needs park that belongs to the
public, "a place where the amateur leagues,
Industrial leagues. boys leagues and col!
lege leagues can get out In Gods fresh
air and play their games, develop their
bodies and incidentally become better
citizens. The present facilities of Rich
mond along this line consist of the Broad
Street park. and certain vacant lots scat
tered over the city. 1t Is needless to speak
to the amateurs and schools concerning
the drawbacks to each of these. for in
the first instance they know that 1t is
next thing to impossible for anybody
except professionals or the large college
teams to secure the Broad Street park
for n given date. Why? Ask the manage
ment And when they play on the vacant
lots there are always many objections
made by the neighbors and frequently
complaints lodged with the authorities.
Suppose certain philanthropic and pub
lic-spirited men were to make a propo-
sition to the city of Richmond something
like this: You own property In the West
End of the city, which would make ideal
sites for the best athletic grounds In the
South VIII you furnish the grounds II
we will furnish the money to put these
grounds in perfect shape for all sorts OF
field athletics? Wouldn't there be a
howl OF delight from the thousands OF
men and boys in Richmond who love
outdoors games and who have absolutely
no decent place to play them, II such a
question were to be asked, answered IN
the affirmative and acted upon?
"Within the past four days the writer
has talked with the managers and repre-
sentatives OF several amateur baseball
leagues number OF athletes in the city,
dozens OF business and professional men.
students at the various schools and col
leges, laboring men, newspaper men. city
| officials and others, and without single
exception they have hailed the idea with
the utmost enthusiasm. a group OF gem
tIemen interested in this matter met
and visited the various possible sites in
the city one afternoon last week, and We're
delighted with the prospect. Undoubtedly
the best site available is the one proposed
by The Times Dispatch some months ago
Il. e.,8the centre Of the old speedway in
Byrd Park. 1t is already fairly level, and
comparatively little capital would have to
be expended to make OF 1t a frst-class
athletic field. Such ground would en-
| tice crowds of people to Richmond who
otherwise would not visit the city. Many
| Northern colleges would be able to uti-
lize Richmond as winter training quar-
I iters and add considerably to the city's
| revenue"
An organization to further the cause
! willAbes formed within the next few days,