In the late 1990’s a group of 50+ year-old players got together for drop-in ball games at a Rockford Park District park. They reserved the park and caught the attention of the park district which led to a game in 1998. Then a Rockford Park District employee,Vance Barrie, decided to create a Senior Softball league. It started in 2002 as a 50+ senior league. The response from the community created enough players to create four teams. Games took place Wednesday night at the Rockford Park District Sportscore One complex and ran for twelve weeks.
The teams were selected at random by Vance Barrie who balanced each of the four teams with an equal number of 50 and 60 year-old players. The park district secured four team sponsors to help cover the cost of shirts and ball caps of each team. The first four team sponsors were: Rehabilitation Associates of Northern Illinois (RANI), Skyrise Apartments, Saturn of Rockford and Sentry Integrated Homecare Center. In that first year the youngest player was 50 the oldest was 71. What helped support this new league was the creation of drop-in practices at Dahlquist Park on Tuesday mornings at 8:30 am and Sunday afternoons at 1 pm.
Due to a large number of 60 year-old players after a couple of years it was decided to create a 60+ league on Monday nights at Sportscore One in 2005. The 50+ league continued on Wednesday nights. The teams in the new 60+ league, were chosen by a draft and decided by a select group of managers. The skill-level of the players was not yet a critical factor. Over the years the 60+ league has played at Sportscore One, Searles Park, Forest Hills Diamonds and its current home, Cherry Valley. The move from the Rockford Park District diamonds to Forest Hills was to escape certain park district rules and requirements. The move from Forest Hills to Cherry Valley was due to a large cost increase required by Forest Hills Diamonds.
Later after the move to Cherry Valley, a fall league was created and the Rockford Park District promoted the continuance of play by providing indoor space at Sportscore Two from November to March. The Rockford Park District has set Mondays and Thursday aside for anyone who wishes to play inside during the winter months.
In the move to Cherry Valley’s Baumann Park the league has expanded to two morning leagues and one evening league for 14 to 16 weeks with a follow up fall league of 10 weeks. There is also a spin- off league for the evening controlled by other members of the morning league. All of the leagues are designed for recreation. Player safety is emphasized through particular rule changes. An executive committee is used to make adjustments for player safety and assign players by skill level, meant to balance teams.
A senior all-star team also participated in the Illinois Senior Olympic Games in the Springfield, Illinois from 2007-2011. Typically, a 50+ team and a 60+ team would compete in the Senior Olympic Games.