South Boston marked a proud and emotional milestone with the grand opening of the Thomas C. Foley Area at Main Christopher F. Lee Playground Wednesday night. The long-awaited restoration was celebrated in a spirited ceremony attended by metropolis officers, neighborhood members, and the households of the sphere’s namesakes.
Joe Christino, president of South Boston Little League, opened the night by thanking the neighborhood, metropolis officers, and beneficiant supporters who made the brand new area potential. “I’m actually thrilled to lastly be right here tonight to be opening this area. It’s been a very long time coming,” he stated.
“I wish to thank everybody for being right here tonight, together with our board of administrators, coaches, volunteers, umpires, and most significantly, all of the younger gamers in our league who’re going to profit most from this stunning new baseball area.”
Christino thanked “the broader South Boston neighborhood, households, neighborhood teams, all of whom supported this effort from the very starting.” He additionally prolonged his gratitude to the elected officers, Mayor Wu, the Parks Division, and plenty of others.
“And at last, I’d like to offer a particular acknowledgement to the households of each Thomas Foley and Christopher Lee for being right here with us tonight to honor the legacies that this area represents.”
The revitalization of the sphere, funded partly by the Neighborhood Preservation Act, comes after almost 4 years of planning and advocacy. The venture responded to a post-COVID surge in youth baseball and a rising want for secure, high-quality amenities. The upgraded area gives younger athletes a contemporary house to develop their expertise and construct neighborhood.
The ceremony paid transferring tribute to the 2 males whose names grace the sphere.
Main Christopher F. Lee, for whom the playground is known as, served heroically in World Conflict I as a member of the famed Yankee Division. U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Drew Lee, his great-nephew, recounted the main’s bravery, management, and sacrifice, together with receiving the Distinguished Service Cross and in the end succumbing to wounds suffered in fight. “The liberties and freedoms all of us get pleasure from aren’t free — they’re very, very costly,” Colonel Lee reminded the gang.
Thomas C. Foley, whose identify is on the ballfield itself, was a beloved native coach, Navy veteran of World Conflict II, and longtime MBTA bus driver. Donna Foley, representing the Foley household, recalled his deep love for the sport and his dedication to the neighborhood’s youth. “He loved instructing the basics and the best way to play the sport,” she stated. The unique area was devoted to Foley in 1965 following a neighborhood parade and celebration, and this rededication renews that legacy for a brand new technology.
Mayor Michelle Wu, Metropolis Councilor Ed Flynn, and Metropolis Council Erin Murphy provided reflections and proclamations honoring the Lee and Foley households. Mayor Wu praised the neighborhood for investing not simply in a area, however in the way forward for its youth. “What you do right here, all you do together with your groups, all you do together with your coaches, it additionally interprets off the sphere,” Wu stated. “You might be higher leaders. You might be higher neighborhood members. You’re the actual those that we want in our neighborhood to step up and deal with one another.”
Wu instructed the younger gamers that the sphere was made potential by individuals who beloved this neighborhood deeply they usually carry that legacy ahead each time they step as much as the plate.
Because the occasion concluded, the message was clear: The sphere is greater than only a place to play — it’s a dwelling tribute to the service, sacrifice, and spirit that outline South Boston.
With the sphere formally reopened, Foley gave the nod to the younger gamers gathered: “Play ball!” The Athletics and Braves then took to the sphere.
