Community is such an integral piece of the Little League® program and it plays a pivotal role in bringing kids and families together all around the world each year. Just outside of Chicago, the community of La Grange, Illinois, serves as the home to two local leagues sharing both a border and a goal – to get more youth athletes onto a Little League field while enhancing the La Grange community.
In 1952, La Grange (Ill.) National Little League chartered its first baseball team, and today not only offers but has seen growth in its softball program as well as its Challenger Division. Heading into the 2025 season, more than 70 years after it first chartered, the league has 63 teams registered across their divisions of play and a boundary population of 16,773 as of January 2025.
Heading just slightly North, you will also find La Grange Park (Ill.) Little League, which chartered its first baseball team in 1953. Today, the league has 48 teams registered between baseball and softball, seeing an increase in teams since 2019, and currently has a boundary population of 13,466.
To learn more about these two leagues, Little League sat down with both La Grange National Little League’s President, Michael Buttron, and La Grange Park Little League’s President, Nicholas Michaels, for a Local League Spotlight, a series of content created to help other leagues learn from each other’s success stories. Below, you will find quotes from each of the two, along with how each of the leagues brings these ideas to life in their communities:
Rally Around Your Community
La Grange National LL (Michael Buttron)
“It’s not all about baseball and softball. Little League is designed to be a vehicle to advance your community as a whole. Winning is great, and seeing smiles on the kids’ faces is great, but getting families from the community together in one central area to enjoy the summer and make memories is what Little League is about. Amplifying the community value is the selling point for players and their families to stay with the program.“
- La Grange National LL hosts “food truck nights” where they invite the community, including those without players in the program, to the complex to enjoy local eats, support small businesses, and watch baseball and softball.
- To connect with the community, La Grange National LL also supports and recognizes individuals after they have passed, including those not a part of the program, through fundraisers and dedications at the complex.
La Grange Park LL (Nicholas Michaels)
“One of the things I am proud of that both our leagues do well is the branding of the program. On our side, we are ‘Just a Kid from LGP’ on social media and by word of mouth… With our league sponsors in the community, the biggest thing I struggled with was the fact that it felt like we were just asking people for money. Instead, I wanted to bring them more into the community of the league. Now, we have ‘nights with sponsors.’ Throughout the season, a special night would be dedicated to that sponsor so we can show them support the same way they have shown us support. It becomes a synergistic relationship, which we especially saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, because by financially supporting the Little League program we can then become strong and help the businesses out when they need it, as well.”
- La Grange Park LL has established relationships with the local high schools in the area, allowing their athletes to help as Little League volunteers. To thank them for their support, La Grange Park LL will participate in “Little League Nights” at the high school where players and their families will work concession stands and ticket sales to help the schools raise money.
Communicate Early and Often
La Grange National LL
“Life moves a lot faster now, with sports seasons now defining our seasons here in Chicago. People are getting information and schedules out to families way further in advance for every sport whether it’s baseball, soccer, swim team, or dance lessons. So, we now send out our schedule for the following year on Labor Day. It sounds so far in advance, but it gives fair warning to families and people in the community of when we intend to play baseball and softball. This helps us to retain players because they know what’s coming and can plan around when they need to be on the diamond.”
Find Ways to Include and Celebrate League Alumni
La Grange Park LL
“We have worked hard to bring those who played Little League back into the program. Rather than bringing in third–party groups to umpire games, we now are bringing in alumni through a program called ‘JUMP,’ Junior Umpires in Minors Program. Through the program, siblings of current Little Leaguers come back to the fields to train and work as umpires. We have another program, as well, where athletes who went through the Little League program and now play for their high school varsity baseball or softball team come back and coach the players.”
Grow your Softball Program
La Grange National LL
“In the last two or three years, I have found that having more female coaches and volunteers involved has done wonders in growing our softball program. We have drawn a lot more female athletes to our program who stay season after season because they are able to see leaders and learn from leaders who are women. Sometimes softball can be a scary sport to play, so having women be that source of comfort for the players as they develop their skills, and confidence, is huge and has done wonders for the numbers in our program.”
- In addition to increasing the number of female coaches, La Grange National LL has recently put more focus on how their development program runs for softball and has expanded the Coach Pitch Division of play so more females can start developing their softball skills and on-field confidence from a younger age of play.
La Grange Park LL
“Since my second year as League President, we have made it a goal to identify La Grange Park Little League as not just a baseball program, but a softball program, as well, which it has not always been. Since addressing that need for change, our focus has been on the facilities. We know what we have for baseball and the unique experience we can provide, but now what can we do for softball? To keep the girls excited about the sport, they currently play games at another league’s field while we put funds into the renovations. Hopefully, once the fields are ready in two years, the excitement can carry onto our fields that the softball players can call their own.”
Advice for Growing Your League
La Grange National LL
“Community is the key to building the entire ship. If you are going to start a league or try to build your already chartered league, then you need to look around your community, because there are a lot of people. Whether they are store owners, business owners, or families who don’t have league-aged kids – there are people in your community who are good people and are willing to help. If you can get them all on board and explain to them the goals of your league, which is to get together and support each other as these kids grow and get older, then you have accomplished the most important piece to help your league grow.”
La Grange Park LL
“Let’s say I get picked up and dropped in an area where travel baseball and softball are dominating. I would say that branding is everything. Your league has to mean something in your community. Kids from six years old to whatever the league’s highest level of play need people who care about them, are there to support them, and teach them about the love of the game. If they teach them at the same time how to throw a ball or hit a ball, then that’s great. I think both of our league’s brandings create that environment. When I think of La Grange Park LL, I don’t think of baseball. When I think of La Grange National LL, I don’t think of baseball. I think about wonderful people and a community that supports each other. I’m not sure how we sell that to programs that are struggling without them having those resources, but that would be my advice.”
To learn more about the Little League® program, and find a league in your community, visit PlayLittleLeague.org.