Norcrest’s Tilleman balks at Taber’s little league policies

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Taber Times

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Norcrest Little League has decided the grass is greener on the other side – and by the other side it means outside of Taber. A year ago in August 2024, the Major A Little League Championships were held in Taber, and the local Norcrest team was in the spotlight. This year the bats will be going quiet in town but be coming alive elsewhere.

 Norcrest representative Dale Tilleman has a history of fighting for local youth baseball to get its due, and after dealing with the perceived “callousness” of Taber town council and management, he declared that Norcrest had moved its team programming elsewhere.

 The Times received a letter from Tilleman titled ‘Norcrest Little League–an ATM machine?’ that outlined his misgivings with Town policies.

 He began by writing, “In 2024, Norcrest Little League hosted the provincial championship in respect to the Majors A Division. After the tournament, Norcrest was presented with a $775 bill. Norcrest appealed the invoice to the Taber Recreation Board. Amongst the nonsensical reasons for the bill, the most illogical is that the town had to hire extra staff for our event. For what?”

 He explained that the dragging, watering, home plate prep, lining, and other field maintenance was done by the parents, coaches, and Norcrest board members. That left Town of Taber recreation staff to “freshen up the bathroom” and do little else.

 “Youth sport programs should not be asked to pay for unsound decisions made by Town of Taber managers,” he wrote. He said teams that participated in those same provincial championships were not charged entry fee. Afterward, Norcrest asked for an opportunity to present their objection to the invoice, and according to Tilleman, town council couldn’t be bothered to hear Norcrest ‘s concerns.

 Using unspecified tourism formulas, Tilleman calculated the local economic benefits that resulted from youth sporting events. As an example, he said that in 2024, Norcrest hosted three scheduled little league tournaments, along with the provincial tournament held the first weekend of August.

 “The first tournament had 12 visiting teams participating; the second had three other Alberta programs; the third one had four out of town squads; and the provincial tournament had five teams besides the Norcrest team,” he wrote.

 He calculated that the local economic benefits from visiting teams to be $260 per day for each family in town on an overnight stay and $190 per day for each family of day trippers.

 “With most teams having a roster of 12-13 players, if you consider just the immediate families of the participants, Norcrest tournaments would have directly generated between $50,000 and $60,000 for the local Taber economy,” Tilleman said. The amount does not account for other relatives, friends, and game officials that traveled to Taber for the youth baseball tournaments.

 To add insult to injury, Tilleman pointed out that in Dec. 2024, after an “ill-advised recommendation by the Parks and Recreation management with the support of the CAO,” town council passed an increase in fees for youth baseball. He claimed the increase would have almost tripled Norcrest fees for their use of the Ken McDonald ballparks.

 “It is unfortunate that the town council, before passing the rate increases, did not check with other communities regarding the fee structure for youth baseball,” Tilleman wrote. He gave the following fee schedule for youth baseball in nearby communities as: Brooks $0; Vauxhall $0; Milk River $0; and Coaldale $220 per team.

 The Coaldale charge stands out, but Tilleman said that it amounts to 60 per cent of the fee structure that the new Taber bylaw requires. In terms of hosting a provincial championship (as in 2024), the cost would amount to 45 per cent of what Norcrest was charged by the Town of Taber last year.

 “Subsequently, Norcrest’s two fall baseball teams will also be located outside of Taber as well,” Tilleman continued. “In 2025, Norcrest has already hosted four Little League tournaments; all economic benefits have gone to hotels, restaurants, gas bars, and grocery stores outside of Taber. “

 In a follow-up to Tilleman’s letter, he told the Times that “the Norcrest board was well aware of the fee increase, and have supported moving Norcrest teams out of Taber.” As a result, Norcrest moved its programming to Coaldale, Milk River, and Vauxhall.

 Tilleman slammed the Town’s “lack of ballpark judgement” and the “callousness exhibited by Town management.” He cited hazardous and improper spraying of Roundup, no signage regarding the use of chemicals, leaving sprinklers on before games, not assigning dugout garbage pickup for a week, and leaving gopher holes on the playing surface, among other neglects.

 After the August tournament in 2024, Norcrest VP Carin Jensen told the Times, “Little League has a place inside our rural communities that introduces kids to baseball. I think it is Norcrest’s place to help build on that interest and find ways to help those kids who want to play more competitive baseball to have the opportunities to do so.”

 In 2024, Norcrest Little League consisted of teams from eight southern Alberta communities: Taber, Bow Island, Coaldale, Enchant, Foremost, Milk River, Picture Butte, and Vauxhall. This year, Tilleman said that three spring teams, three summer teams, and likely at least two fall teams will be competing.

 In the follow-up, he concluded, “Until a more favourable fee schedule is in place, we will not base our teams out of Taber. In 2024, all seven Norcrest teams played out of Taber.”