Brantley in The News

by Kevin Price, Community Free Press
July 2-15,  p.18

If you watch them play, you won't notice any difference between them and their opponents. They are still just young kids who are enjoying themselves playing a game.

They are not concerned with the outcome of the game. They are all smiles and laughter. The crowd cheers when one of them makes a good play.

The only apparent difference is in the team's dugout. There are two coaches. One is yelling out instructions and positive messages. The other is silent and sending the same instructions and messages via sign language. 

In Springfield, there is a place for children who are deaf to play America's game. In the Northwest Springfield Free Youth Softball League (NWSFYSL), there are two teams whose rosters include a significant number of deaf children.

"It didn't start out as a place for deaf children to play softball," Rob Brantley said. "[Derek White and I] started out trying to fix the Grant Beach field and the league kind of sprung from that."

After their fall time blowout to bring in volunteers to clean up the field, the two co-creators of the league decided cleaning the field wasn't enough.

by Stephen Herzog, Springfield Business Journal
July 7-13, 2008 - Page 13

Two members of a local political action committee have started a free softball league for kids in northwest Springfield, with the backing from the local business community.

Rob Brantley and Derek White of Real People for Real Change created Northwest Springfield Free Youth Softball to open the sport to area children who might not otherwise get to play. Initially, the duo targeted 12 northwest Springfield grade schools, but as awareness spread, home-schooled and private-school students also joined the league which now has more than 100 participating children, Brantley said.

The league is split into two age groups - second through fifth grad and sixth to eighth grade. With parents' permission, some younger children are allowed to play in the older league, Brantley said, so that children with similar skill levels play together. Games are played at the baseball fields in Grant Beach Park.

by Mert Seaton, Community Free Press
March 12-25,  p.15

Since last year, the softball field at Grant Beach Park has been undergoing a transformation. The once dilapidated field has been renovated and
celebrated, and now area citizens and city officials plan to put the field to use. 

This summer the Grant Beach field will give area children a chance to play in a softball league for free. Springfield resident and league co-organizer, Derek White, said the league is the final part of a three-step process for the softball field. 

"When we first decided to do this, we decided on three steps," White said. "First we wanted to revitalize the field, next hold the Softball Bonanza, and then create free leagues for area kids. 

Jericho - Something that we've been talking about for three and a half years is making our neighborhoods and city safer and along the way we've picked up some friends, we've picked up some enemies, and we've picked up some folks who really have got the vision and want to make a difference in our community and we've met some folks who have similar vision or are at least trying to do some good things or are planning to do some good things in the community. Now there is a Neighborhood Roundtable meeting or forum coming up next week I believe it is and the Chair of the Neighborhood Roundtable is Robert Brantley. Robert, good morning and we thank you for joining us sir.

Brantley - Good morning Vincent. Thank you for having us.