Opening Day for softball at Murphey Candler Park

It's a labor of love. Or a field of dreams. Whatever you call it, said Cullen McClure, the most important thing to remember is to bring toilet paper to the ballpark.

On Saturday, a pre-spring ritual will play out on the softball diamonds of Murphey Candler Park. Opening Day of the Murphey Candler Girls Softball Association.

Hundreds of girls age six to eighteen will be trucked in by their parents from Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Tucker, Chamblee and Buckhead.

Some will be learning to hit the ball, even before their new uniforms are smudged with dirt. Others will be practicing in the ballpark's bullpens, fine-tuning the complex mechanics of throwing a fast-pitch curveball.

The pageantry of Opening Day will be extra special this year. It's the first season the league will play on a renovated Field 5 - the result of a five-year labor of love to revitalize the ballpark.

Remembering to bring toilet paper is just part of the job, McClure said. A lot of people will be there. Besides, who else is going to do it?

“The kids use a lot of toilet paper. We don't want to run out,” he laughed.

Several years ago, DeKalb County had plans to renovate all five fields at the park. Because of ongoing budget cutbacks, it only had money for four.

Since then, the Murphey Candler Girls Softball Association has raised and then spent $65,000 of its own money to rehabilitate a deteriorating Field 5.

Before renovations, the field was a mess, McClure said. It flooded when it rained. Improper grading caused mud to spill into the dugouts when it did. The fencing around the 200-foot field had fallen into such disrepair it was feared dangerous. The lights went in an out. The scoreboard no longer worked.

Instead of complaining, McClure's  association went to work. It used its own influence to raise money from corporate donors, local businesses and the families of players in the league.

Raising money for girls’ sports is not easy, McClure said. The fact that the fund drive was successful was a testament to the league becoming more than a place to play softball. It was a community, McClure said.

“The only measure of success we have at the park is if these kids come back to play another year,” he said. “If they don’t, we feel like we have failed.”

The renovation of Field 5 was integral to the future of the league, McClure said. Without enough fields, the league's future players would have to be sent elsewhere to learn the sport.

“In order to sustain our growth – we couldn’t do it on four fields,” he said. “This is a good validation of our program. It wouldn’t be the program that it is today without it.”

Now that the field is completed, the association is eyeing other items.

An oversized golf-cart used to groom the infields after games has duct tape all over it. It will need to be replaced soon.The group also has plans to build shades over some of the ballpark's fields to protect spectators from the sun.

McClure sees a day when Murphey Candler is a “crown jewel” for girls’ softball in the Atlanta-metro area.

As long as he remembers to bring some toilet paper.