MEDIA RELEASE: A field of dreams to honour an Essendon baseballer

Ten years in the making, the Chris Lane Field will be officially opened on Saturday, 17 February at Boeing Reserve in Strathmore Heights.

In 2009, a teenage baseball player named Chris Lane left Australia on a scholarship to pursue his dream of playing baseball in the United States.

Four years later, on 16 August 2013, that dream was brutally cut short in a few senseless seconds, when Chris, 22, was murdered by bored teenagers in a random drive-by shooting while he was out jogging in Duncan, Oklahoma.

The outpouring of grief, and headlines in Australia and the United States, were immediate – both to bring his killers to justice, but to also ensure Chris’ name, and his love for a sport that took him to the other side of the world, would never be forgotten.

A petition was quickly launched, calling for a field to be built in his honour. Money was pledged, and the work was begun. And now, finally, the day has arrived.

To honour the memory and legacy of the former Essendon Baseball Club player, the Chris Lane Field will be officially opened on Saturday, 17 February.

The Chris Lane Field will become Australia’s first Little League baseball field. So, it is fitting that the field will be christened from 2pm on the day with a Little League tournament, and an official opening ceremony at 6pm.

On behalf of Chris’ family, his sister Andrea Kane said they were thankful to have a lasting tribute to keep his memory alive.

“Chris was a young man who worked hard, but above all believed that everyone had a right to belong,” Ms Kane said.

“The reaction to his passing and stories shared from both his friends in the US and Australia are a testament to someone who went out of their way to be inclusive and have fun.

“We hope many memories can be made on the field in that spirit of fun.

“We would like to thank the Committee of the Essendon Baseball Club, and president Tony Cornish, for the huge amount of work they have done to drive the project. We want to thank both Moonee Valley Council and the State Government for their support, with a special thanks to the Member for Essendon, the Hon Danny Pearson MP, as well as the Major League Baseball [USA], Musco Lighting and David Bromley for all their contributions to make this day possible.”

Tony Cornish said the club was relieved to be able to finally build the field in honour of Chris, who began playing with the club at just seven years of age.

“It’s been a long hard 10 years, but as they say, ‘a goal is only as worthy as the effort needed to achieve it’,” Mr Cornish said.

“We are ecstatic to be able to remember Chris and honour his family this way and we look forward to the future generation of up-and-coming champion baseballers enjoying the facility.”

Moonee Valley City Council Mayor, Cr Pierce Tyson, said while Chris Lane never got to see his baseball dream through to its rightful conclusion, he was grateful that the Chris Lane Field would stand as a permanent tribute to what the sportsman did achieve in his short life.

“While we’ll never know what heights Chris could have reached in his baseball career in the US, it’s fair to believe that, given his clear talent, he would have gone far,” Mayor Tyson said.

“Although that potential was stolen from him so cruelly, what he was able to achieve in his 22 years was remarkable.

“The Chris Lane Field will be a lasting testament to that, as it becomes a new field of dreams for future Australian baseball stars.”

 

ENDS

Issued 9 February 2024

Media enquiries:

Jo Roberts, Team Leader, Media and Strategic Communications Mobile 0437 641 392 | Email: media@mvcc.vic.gov.au

 

Planning on going? Catch the 469 bus, as parking will be limited. See the site map for more details.