Softball Brandon embraces change

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This article was published 29/04/2025 (346 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marc Lyver picked the perfect time to be the president of Softball Brandon, serving in an eight-year span that’s been utterly transformational for the sport.

With a group of dedicated volunteers and an impactful long-term vision, the organization has seen steady change and progress, something he takes a lot of pride in.

“I just love to see what we’re building here,” Lyver said. “From the time our new board went together four or five years ago, it seems like everyone had the same vision, let’s grow our complex, let’s grow our minor softball program. Everything seems to be working and working in line.

“I think we’ll have something special here to leave to the next group. I think that’s our goal. Let’s build it and leave it in good hands and be proud of what we’re doing.”

The last decade will be one to remember, with the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex opening in 2017 after a different group of volunteers spearheaded a multiyear effort to build the four-diamond facility.

In 2024 alone, the Westman Softball Association formally changed its name to Softball Brandon and the Westman Magic split off to form its own board, a new organizational structure with the softball complex committee took shape and two entirely new leagues were added under the Softball Brandon banner.

The latter also came last year when the organization began working with adults as well, organizing the orthodox fastball league on Monday nights and the adult slo-pitch league on Tuesdays.

“We run them,” Lyver said. “Fortunately for us, a member of the one of the teams approached us and she actually runs the leagues for us so it’s run under Softball Brandon as well but she does all the work for us. It’s good.”

That allows the organization to continue to offer programming to people after they graduate from the house leagues, which Lyver said is a nice addition.

“Last year I did see a lot of members from our organization in the past playing on those teams,” Lyver said. “It was cool to see.”

The Westman Magic formed its own board a year ago and now runs parallel to Softball Brandon as an independent entity. Lyver serves on the Magic board as well — on coach development and recruitment — and the Magic are headquartered at the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex, so the two organizations are inextricably linked.

“We have a wonderful working relationship,” Lyver said. “They use our complex as their home, so we have that agreement together for them to practise and use it for their home games. It’s wonderful. “It’s just new insight from having members from all over Westman that are a part of that Magic program. All of Westman has a say in what’s happening in that program.”

Meanwhile, the committee for the softball complex runs separately from Softball Brandon’s board, although there is some overlap in membership. The ANSC board will likely be officially folded into a working committee under Softball Brandon’s banner at the organization’s next annual general meeting.

“They do all the construction work at the complex,” Lyver said. “Anything that needs to be added or done, they come out with those ideas and come to our board and it gets approved through our board.”

The ANSC has been steadily improving the complex every year, with this summer’s plan to add some shade structures and another garage.

“It seems like every year we grow and grow and grow,” Lyver said. “It’s unbelievable.”

The facility will be busy again this summer.

Softball Brandon applies for as many big tournaments as it can every year, and there are four major events on the horizon this summer.

The Magic will host their second annual Wheat City Classic from June 6 to 8, while Softball Brandon runs the U13 and U15 AA showcases from June 13 to 15, the U13 and U15 AA provincials from July 25 to 27 and the U19 western Canadian championship from Aug. 7 to 10.

“We’re very excited to have these big events this year,” Lyver said. “We’ll call on our volunteer base, which has always been great.”

HOUSE LEAGUES

The season began on Monday and goes until the end of June.

Softball Brandon’s total registration of 366 kids is similar to the number in 2024, with 31 teams spread across the under-seven, U9, U11, U13, U15 and U17 age groups. The numbers have traditionally been between 350 and 380 kids, although there was a brief but significant dip after COVID.

That doesn’t include the U13, U15, U17 and U19 Westman Magic players because they don’t play in the house leagues. AA players do play with Softball Brandon: The AA Heat teams essentially house league all-star teams that play in Softball Manitoba’s annual showcase tournament and provincials.

This year, all four U15 teams and both U17-U19 combined teams from Softball Brandon will play in the Southwest league.

By numbers, the biggest division is the U9 group with eight teams, followed by U11 and U13 with seven squads, U9 and U15 with four and U17-19 with two.

“It seems that those U9, U11 groups are usually fairly large,” Lyver said. The only real change in age groups is in the U5 division. For the last couple of years, the city has run a combined softball-soccer program during the week, taking that off Softball Brandon’s plate.

“We’re working together to make sure all the kids get to play and directing them towards that city program right now,” Lyver said.

In cases where a younger sibling wants to play with an older one — and is capable — some U5 kids have moved up to U7 in the Softball Brandon program. Games for the younger age groups are mostly played at the four river diamonds near Andrews Field, with the older age groups in action at the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex.

They also use the doggy diamond near 26th Street and Park Avenue, and the Coronation Park diamond at 24th Street and Lorne Avenue.

The organization actually maintains more than a dozen diamonds around the city, not just the four at the softball complex, but Lyver said it all works out.

“We have such a good working agreement with the city that they do help us if we need something,” Lyver said. “We hire staff at the complex. We’re very fortunate to have the same staff every year for the past four years … Without having all those good staff members, the complex would never run like it does.”

Of course the organizations’ volunteers also play a key role.

With an executive that includes Greg Beckwith (VP recreation, U13-19), Mark Ryback (VP recreation, U5-11), Stewart McMillan (VP uniforms and equipment), Jill Twordik (VP AA programs), Bev Neufeld (VP development), at-large members Mike Kulchyski, Brent Cuvelier, and Kari Ellis plus office manager Brett Turner and Heidi Figol (uniforms and equipment), Lyver has the benefit of working with a group that has decades of experience and offers plenty of institutional memory.

That’s a blessing for any organization.

“The last few years have been great,” Lyver said. “Everybody has a role and everybody takes it upon themselves to make sure they fill their role and do an excellent job at what they set out to do. It’s fantastic having members who have been on the board for a long time because they just step in and help out when needed or where needed. We have a great group.”

An annual challenge is the hunt for the volunteer coaches who allow it all to happen, but that’s not Lyver’s job. He credits others instead.

“We have great division directors,” Lyver said. “Greg Beckwith and Mark Ryback run and coordinate our youth softball programs and it’s usually their job every year to do coach callouts and it seems like they do a great job at that. Traditionally you’re always hunting for one or two at the end but they do a great job and always make sure every team is filled with coaches.”

And that led to the first pitch yesterday.

While the continued streamlining of the softball scene in Brandon in the board room is great news, Lyver is ready for some action on the diamonds. This week, he finally gets his wish.

“I’m definitely excited to get outdoors and see all the kids,” Lyver said. “They’re all excited too. We’ve been running some off-season programming on the inside but there’s only so much you can do indoors. We’re just excited to get the season going.”

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