Parks lighting ties up league

The ballfield where the Ballard Junior Football League has played home games since 1962 boasts new lights and synthetic turf, but the league played on grass and into the dark on Saturday.

The league's seven teams of 7- to 14-year-olds were told by Seattle Parks and Recreation last week that unless they agree to abide by new rules at Loyal Heights Playfield, they must play on the nearby Soundview Playfield, which has grass and no lights.

The league has nearly 170 players plus about 60 cheerleaders.

The new rules at Loyal Heights include starting games no earlier than 9 a.m. and sandwiching an hour between games. Under those rules, the league's last game wouldn't finish until about 11 p.m., said Joelle Ligon, a spokeswoman for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Soundview is not a suitable alternative because it has no lights, said league vice president Marshall Airey. Although teams can start earlier and play games back to back, the later games would have to be played in the dark.

"As we get into fall, we will not be able to play our home games," he said.

League officials say they didn't know about the new rules until a couple of days before their first home games on Sept. 8, at which point they had nothing in writing. With schedules already set, they went ahead with plans to begin at Loyal Heights at 8:30 a.m. and play back-to-back games.

Their schedule incensed some neighbors, who had fought putting synthetic turf on the playfield and agreed to it only after several concessions, including the new playing hours.

The league continues to practice on the Loyal Heights playfield. At Thursday's practice, park officials distributed letters to coaches telling them that Saturday's games had been moved to Soundview.

The hour between games was dictated in May by the city's deputy hearing examiner, Anne Watanabe. The league appealed her report last week, said Patrick Brake, former president and now a consultant to the league.

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com