By 2015 Canadian Little League Championship
Mattamy Homes named as presenting partner for 2015 Little League nationals
It’s called the Canadian Little League Championships, but the organizers of the Aug. 5-16 baseball nationals in Barrhaven have landed a big-league presenting partner in Mattamy Homes.
“This is a remarkable event and Mattamy Homes is extremely proud to be a presenting sponsor for this event,” Mattamy Ottawa Division President Kevin O’Shea said at the official announcement on May 15 at South Nepean Park. “We know it’s going to be an exciting year of baseball for these 11- and 12-year-olds here, and we look forward to cheering them on at this year’s event.”
With nearby developments in Longfields, Half Moon Bay, and Stonebridge, North America’s largest private homebuilder was eager to be part of a big event next door at the Eagles Nest.
“We’re very excited as an organization to be part of such a marquee event for Barrhaven and the East Nepean Eagles,” O’Shea added. “It’s a great opportunity. It’s right in our backyard.”
Mattamy Homes is involved with a number of big-league sports – including 2014-15 season sponsor for the Ottawa Senators and naming rights for the former Maple Leaf Gardens – but the developer is also keen to support sports at the grassroots level too.
“It really speaks to our commitment to community. It’s one of our core values,” O’Shea underlined. “We know that families are part of Little League baseball, and families are part of the communities we build.”
O’Shea, a former Little Leaguer in Kanata himself, maintains a strong affinity for the sport that drew him in because it offered a chance to be active outdoors in a team setting.
“I love baseball. It’s always been a passion of mine,” O’Shea indicated. “I hurt my shoulder as a 13-year-old, but I love the game so much I became an umpire.”
Sponsorship goes a long way
Organizers were thrilled to have Mattamy sign on since it ensures they will meet their event budget requirements and so they can focus their energy on other aspects that will make the event special, such as their Champions Dinner with Robbie Alomar, and promoting the sport to generate future Little Leaguers – in particular to new Canadians who may not have had much exposure to baseball – and leaving a legacy from the Championships.
“We want to put on a first-class tournament,” emphasized East Nepean Little League President Bruce Campbell. “Having Mattamy involved mirrors that. We have first-class partners.”
After former City of Nepean Mayor and tournament organizing committee member Mary Pitt made the introduction to Mattamy leadership, it wasn’t a tough sell.
“They were excited from the get-go,” recounted Campbell, who was impressed by Mattamy’s enthusiasm to take part in the sponsorship announcement and lottery-style tournament draw prior to an East Nepean house league game between the Eagles and Blue Jays. “To have the three people from Mattamy at the highest levels come out on the Friday of a long weekend – man, that’s saying something about the people and the company that they work for.”