About Us
A History of Purpose
Little League baseball and softball programmes for youth were originally established in the U.S. in 1939. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of the sport and engaging in healthy activity, the primary objective of the initial founder was to give the children of the world a game that provides the fundamental principles of sportsmanship, fair play, discipline and teamwork. Beyond baseball, the purpose has always been rooted in teaching values to youth that could be used later in life to become good citizens.
It wasn’t until 50 years later that the largest youth sports organisation in the world began operating in the Cayman Islands. In 1989, without fields of their own, youth began playing on George Hicks High School fields and later at general field space in West Bay.
As the sport became more popular, the volunteer-led Little League group needed to find a space of their own to meet the growing desire to play ball.
In 1994, “The Cayman Islands Little League Association” was officially established. The group began garnering community support for their own field space in George Town, and by 1997, they managed to raise enough funds to purchase a 17-acre property near the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
In February, 2018, the YMCA of the Cayman Islands signed a formal agreement with Little League to begin operating the programmes and facilities at the Field of Dreams. This partnership does much more than improve facilities and Little League programmes. The result of both organisations combining resources adds up to a greater positive impact on our society. Not unlike other parts of the world, Cayman’s social challenges are real. In order for our beautiful Island to flourish and prosper, it is incumbent on us all to invest our efforts in strengthening the character of our youth. Teaching and reinforcing critical values such as honesty, compassion, and respect is precisely why both organisations exist. Collaboration makes us more effective and the result is a stronger community.
Board of Directors
John Cridland
President
John Cridland began as assistant coach in 2002 when his kids started playing T-Ball. He has had three (3) kids go through the Little League programme and has seen firsthand the benefits for both them and himself. Eighteen (18) years later he is still coaching, although the kids are no longer in the programme. The joy of developing and helping the young people of these islands is extremely rewarding for John. In addition, teaching them sportsmanship, teamwork along with following rules and authority structure are particularly important values for him personally and to Little League. In 2007 he was elected to the CI Little League Board of Directors, a role he takes seriously as the Board’s decisions impact lots of young people in these islands. He has served as President of the Board from 2013 to 2018 and again 2019 to present.
Erwin Freeland
Vice President
Having served as CILLA Volunteer and Board Director since 2012, Erwin has been involved with baseball and softball for over 35 years as either a player or coach. Erwin grew up in Tampa, Fl, playing competitively until college and understands the importance of structure, discipline and mentorship. His firstborn started her love of the game in Cayman from T-ball with her little sister soon to join. Erwin is living proof that Little League provides a strong foundation to develop life skills that can be carried out for a lifetime.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”
Andrew Holness
League Commissioner
Born in Kingston, Jamaica Andrew moved to Grand Cayman at a very young age. He became involved in C.I. Little League in 2006 as an Assistant Coach to any team his three children played for, starting with T-Ball. He continued to volunteer in other areas as his children got older. He still has one child in the programme and has enjoyed watching all of his kids play as much as they have enjoyed playing. Andrew is a member of the Little League board and also currently the League Commissioner. He takes his role very seriously when called upon to make a decision as he recognises it not only impacts the coaches but also each team.
Jason Bechard
Treasurer
As an avid baseball fan his whole life, Jason become involved with CILLA when he moved to the Cayman Islands in December 2004. Jason is currently Treasurer of CILLA, a position he has held since 2008. Previously with CILLA, Jason has coached, acted as division coordinator and briefly was CILLA’s secretary. Jason is originally from Canada, and is a CPA (State of Michigan), and has an MBA and Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Windsor.