The baseball team in question for the future after being charged increasing costs to use the once vacant field

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – Young baseball players in Gloucester County are worried about the future of their team because they are now being charged an exorbitant amount of money to use a field that was once vacant.

The team, the South Jersey Braves, braved the heat Wednesday night for a battle between its 9U and 10U teams. But, they play on a Glassboro field, instead of a field in Monroe Township, where they are based.

13U SJ Braves Head Coach Chuck Mauriello said, “They are involved in all sports in the city of Monroe.”

The coaches say they paid $40 to use the field Wednesday, which they recently did in a deal with surrounding cities after they said their city gave them the unexpected news about a month ago.

The coaches said that for 10 years, the traveling baseball and softball organization used their local fields for free. The municipality is now set to collect fees.

“We were told we had to pay $150 an hour to use the fields we used for lights and $100 an hour to use the fields without lights,” explained Mauriello.

They say the reason they’re being charged now is because of a residency requirement.

9U SJ Braves Head Coach Steve Kohri said, “Just this year, we’ve been told that since we’re not 100 percent Monroe residents playing on our team, which we are about 70 percent, now we have to we pay”.

Coaches, teams and their families attended a meeting in Monroe Township to voice their frustration during public comment. Mayor Greg Wolfe says the city is merely enforcing an existing sports advisory handbook and ordinance drafted by the president of sports organizations more than a decade ago.

Wolfe says the city needs to be fair to all sports organizations. The city also has Little League, but the SJ Braves say it offers a more elite level of baseball.

“Parents or players want to play at a higher level, well, there’s a cost to that because they’re not recognized in the sports advisory handbook,” Mayor Wolfe said.