TAMPA, Fla. — A historic Tampa youth baseball program displaced by redevelopment could get a boost as part of the Tampa Bay Rays’ plans for a new stadium and surrounding development.

The Rays’ proposed Community Benefits and Legacy Plan specifically identifies the Yellow Jackets and Belmont Heights Little Leagues for facility and program development. The broader youth sports initiative calls for improvements to fields, expanded baseball and softball programming, equipment access, coaching and mentorship opportunities.

For Robin Lockett, whose son played with the Yellow Jackets, the possibility of new investment carries special significance.

“When my son Cedric began to play with them, they had Coach Wright,” Lockett said. “They had men that mentored youth there, and they were a Black baseball league.”

For decades, the Yellow Jackets played at a field on North Oregon Street in West Tampa. Registration was free, and the league became an important part of the community and produced players who went on to play professional baseball.

The program was displaced from its longtime field as part of the Rome Yard redevelopment and eventually moved to a facility on Indiana Street.

Lockett has been among the community members pushing for the Yellow Jackets to be made whole following that displacement.

Now, the Rays could become part of that effort.

Rays CEO Ken Babby said the organization wants to begin some of its youth sports initiatives before the team’s new stadium is scheduled to open in 2029.

“I, for one, am really excited to begin work on youth fields here in Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa,” Babby said. “We do not have to wait until 2029 to start some of the work in the community benefits agreement, including youth fields and some of the other localised projects.”

Babby said the initiative could provide children with equipment, fields and facilities while expanding opportunities to play baseball.

“We’ve talked about the Yellow Jackets project, which is really exciting to a number of folks,” Babby said. “Let’s get to those projects immediately.”

The Rays released their proposed Community Benefits and Legacy Plan in August as local officials considered agreements for the team’s new ballpark at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.

Among the youth sports commitments outlined in the plan are:

Support for free or affordable leagues
Clinics and camps
Expanded softball opportunities for girls and young women
Coaching education and equipment access
Mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities connected to sports programming

The plan also specifically calls for facility and program development involving the Yellow Jackets and Belmont Heights Little Leagues.

The Rays have not yet announced the specific scope, cost or timeline of a Yellow Jackets project.

The effort would also build on work already underway by the city of Tampa to address the Yellow Jackets’ needs following the program’s displacement.

For Lockett, the issue is about preserving a program’s history while making sure a new generation of children has the same opportunities her family experienced.

“Coach Wright is a gentle soul,” Lockett said. “And why I fight so hard is I want to see him see this difference. See these promises come true.”

The Rays’ youth sports commitments are one piece of a broader community benefits proposal connected to the stadium project. The plan also addresses affordable housing and anti-displacement efforts, local hiring, minority- and women-owned businesses, workforce development, transportation, literacy and other community investments.

The new Rays ballpark is planned for Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus in Tampa and is targeted to open for the 2029 Major League Baseball season.

For Lockett, the Yellow Jackets’ inclusion in the Rays’ plans represents an opportunity to bring more resources — and equity — back to youth baseball.

“I think this is great for Tampa,” Lockett said. “I think it’s great, excellent for the league. And just to let this community see what we can do once we have some type of equity in that game.”