'Instant rivals with London': Chatham-Kent Council unanimously approve IBL franchise

Baseball Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby was once asked what he did in the winter and said, “Stare out the window and wait for spring.”

That is what the next 18 months will be like for the new owner of the Chatham-Kent franchise in the Inter-County Baseball League (IBL).

Chatham-Kent Council approved the ninth team in the league Monday with an 18-0 vote. Council agreed to a five-year deal.

“We had unanimous consent when everyone put up their hands and say ‘We support an IBL team coming to Chatham Kent,’” said Mayor of Chatham-Kent, Darrin Canniff.

The owner of the franchise is Dom Dinelle, a Quebec native who spent 12 years in professional baseball.

“I've been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Dinelle, who first approached council in 2020 about bringing a team to the Maple City.

He will be moving full-time to Chatham, Ont. when the team takes the field in 2024.

Former MLB Pitcher and Chatham native Bill Atkinson will serve as team ambassador for the IBL Franchise in Chatham. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“In the next year until the first pitch, we got a lot to do going in the community,” says Dinelle. “We’ll be going in to schools, the mall, and working hand to hand with the minor associations in that area. So there's a lot to be done, for sure.”

Unable to get approval before a deadline to play in 2023, the team will begin in 2024.

Monday night, council needed to approve a number of upgrades and renovations to Fergie Jenkins field in the 2023 budget.

Some of those include perimeter fencing to make fans pay for admission, 500 additional bleacher seats, a home and away clubhouse, concession stands and revamping the dimensions of the field, as right field sits at just 255 feet.

They may need to put a “Green Monster” type-wall in, as the fence will not be able to be moved due to the fieldhouse.

The initial capital costs of $195,500 will be funded from the Hydro One community benefit contribution reserve.

“The great thing is taxpayer dollars isn't being used to fund this,” said Canniff. “The community will benefit from this because anybody playing in the park including minor ball will enjoy all the amenities we're adding.”

Close to $200,000 in upgrades will be done to Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham, Ont. to prepare for IBL play in 2024 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

Fergie Jenkins has agreed to be honorary president, with fellow Chatham native and former MLB pitcher Bill Atkinson taking on the ambassador role.

“It's nice for me because I can come and watch baseball,” said Atkinson, who played for the London Majors after retiring from professional baseball. “Now I have to go to Toronto or Detroit, but there's a good baseball community here.”

The team will hold a press conference in the next few weeks to launch the franchise, which will include looking for a team name.

“It will be the Chatham-Kent something,” said Dinelle.

“At the press conference to launch the team we will hold a contest for the team name in the community. We want to be a community team and they can give us some ideas, and some family will win something,” he added. “It will be great to have someone local name the team.”

The franchise is the ninth in the league, which began in 1919. Owners ideally hope to add a tenth in 2024, which will allow them to split into two divisions of five teams.