On Sunday, March 21, 2010, America’s Finest City Softball League will begin its 29th season of play as vibrant as ever. Never only about a game, the GLBT softball league always places an importance on being welcoming to everyone, regardless of skill level, gender, or sexual orientation.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve played the game before or not,” newly installed Open Division Commissioner Brian Burnett said. “We take anyone who is willing to try, and who wants to meet new people, regardless of whether you play like Kevin Brown or Charlie Brown.”

It is precisely that welcoming attitude that drove over 400 players to lace up their cleats last year, and even more are expected this year as the League hosts four “New Player Clinics” for new players interested in joining the league to come out and see what it’s all about.

Anyone interested in the League is asked to attend one of these pre-season warm-up clinics with the League’s board members to get some practice/instruction on hitting and fielding (dates, times and locations listed at the end of this article). Since one of the driving goals of the League is to make sure like-skilled players are competing with and against each other, these clinics provide an opportunity for the board members to make sure they don’t put a Barry Bonds on a team with a bunch of Betty Boops.

“The new player clinics are a fun way to get your feet wet and find out how the league operates, as well as shake off what might be a lifetime of rust,” said board member Sean Hartigan, who runs the clinics. “Over the years, we’ve gotten all types, from the very advanced, to the very raw. Whatever your skill level, you’re welcome.”

Adding to that sentiment was Women’s Co-Commissioner, Dani Goodlett. “AFCSL players are truly a cross-section of our community,” she said. “They are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, closeted, out, White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, younger, older, single and married. Some wear white collars to work, many wear blue.

Whatever a player’s circumstances,” Goodlett continued, “they will find new friends to whom they can relate. This camaraderie is precisely why the League keeps growing.”

In this way, the League is as much a social event as it is a sporting one.

“I’ve been in the league now over 4 years,” said player and manager James Carver. “When I first started playing, I barely knew anyone in San Diego, and now my social circle is filled with friends I will have forever. I have softball to thank for that.”

While certainly an institution for athletes, the AFCSL is hardly a unique organization. In fact it is but one of 56 gay softball leagues in 35 cities across North America, from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale.

These leagues are actually governed by two larger national organizations, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA). These umbrella groups set guidelines for players, adopt rules of play, and provide a framework for new leagues to grow and flourish.

Teams in each city start their season with the hope of reaching the “Gay Softball World Series”, a week-long championship tournament held each year in a different member city. San Diego has hosted the event twice, in 1997 and again in 2005.

But to make it to the Series, teams must first qualify, and usually that means winning their divisions, which are divided up by skill level. The A division is for the most skilled players, and D is for new players still developing fundamentals. Divisions B and C fall somewhere in between.

While the formula is complicated for determining in what division players and teams should compete, the objectives couldn’t be plainer: have fun, and make as many friends as you can.

In fact, the AFCSL has grown so much in recent years it has reached out to businesses, both straight and gay, to help keep expenses low. In exchange for affordable sponsorship fees, the League encourages its players to use the services and buy the products sold by its sponsors.

As in every sports league, many AFCSL sponsors are bars and restaurants, like Flicks, Urban Mo’s, and Baja Betty’s. But other businesses too are finding out membership has its privileges: salon’s like Hillcrest’s own Hair Spray, accountants, furniture and apparel stores, and even one year a mobile notary and massage company.

Over the years, the League has worked hard to become an official non-profit organization, which makes it even easier for businesses to participate.

At 29 years old, the AFCSL isn’t the oldest GLBT organization in San Diego, but it is one of the largest, with a sterling reputation for transparency and open membership. Anyone can be a part of the organization. All you have to do is love having fun.

To join the League, point your browser to www.afcsl.org. New Player Clinics will be held Sunday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. (Open Division only), Sunday, Feb. 28, at 9:00 a.m., Sunday, March 7 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 14 at noon. Each clinic is at Mira Mesa’s Hourglass Park on Black Mountain Road, next to Miramar College.

For more information, contact Brian Burnett, co-commissioner, at opencommissioner@afcsl.org.