BY Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
Despite a steadily decreasing roster, the Manville Youth Athletic League (MYAL) is preparing for its opening day April 19 when it will celebrate the start of another season.
”The numbers have been dropping over the years and we don’t know why,” said Gregg Snyder, president of MYAL. “But we have enough for about two teams (for each age level).”
Mr. Snyder said the league is broken up by age groups, with teams for kids ages six through eight, then nine- and 10-year-olds, 11- and 12-year olds, and the Pony League, with kids 13 through 15 years of age.
According to Kate Ader, who works with the MYAL teams, there are about 22 kids registered for the younger teams; about 28 on the nine- and 10-year-old teams; and 26 kids signed up for the 11- and 12-year-old teams.
”And the Pony League just barely made a team,” she said.
Still, Mr. Snyder said this low turnout is not unusual for the league.
”We usually have a lot of 6- to 8-year-old kids, but not now,” he said. “The kids that play one year mostly come back. After the initial registration time ran out, we put more fliers in the schools and the newspapers because that was our only means of letting people know.”
This small decline in registrations has led to some changes throughout the years that might actually have become a benefit for those who stick with the league.
According to Mr. Snyder, in past years, the teams would only play on Manville fields against other borough league teams. At that time, he said, each age group had about four teams each.
Now, with only about two teams per group, the league has been playing games around Somerset County, facing Little League teams from Somerville, Raritan and Bound Brook, among other locations.
”I think the kids enjoy playing against other towns,” Mr. Snyder said. “They get to see other people. And we are very competitive with everyone else.”
For now, as Mr. Snyder orders uniforms and they start to flesh out the teams, the biggest event to look forward to is opening day, which will kick off the season that lasts from April 19 until the end of school in June.
”We bring all the kids to the field in Lost Valley and have a ceremony,” he said. “Then each age group plays each other.”
The ceremony, Mr. Snyder said, will feature introductions to each team as well as a league pledge, which will be taught to the players that day. Following that, he said, someone will throw out the first pitch and the games will begin.
This event is especially exciting for the youngest players, Mr. Snyder said, who normally play on Gerber Field, on Dukes Parkway. That field, he said, is smaller, and the players do not have the opportunity to interact with the older members as they do during opening day.
”It is nice for those kids,” he said. “The field in Lost Valley is bigger.”
In addition to opening day, and the games themselves, the players can look forward to the annual carnival, June 2 through June 6, on Gerber Field.
”It is to raise money for the league, for any general funds, utility funds, (and other expenses),” Mr. Snyder said.
For now, with registration closed, Mr. Snyder said the teams are just getting ready to move ahead with the season.
”Then (after the season ends), hopefully there might be some interest for the teams to play some all star games,” he said.

