‘It’s a legacy’: Field of Dreams in Dutton now complete after Jays Care funding

The new Dutton baseball field, renovated by Jays Care, has been unveiled.

It’s been an unbelievable transformation.

Diamond #3 at Sons of Scotland Park in Dutton has gone from nearly unplayable to a state-of-the-art baseball field in just one year after receiving a grant from the Jays Care Foundation.

“It’s incredible,” said Mary Jo Tait, project lead for Dutton/Dunwich Minor Baseball (DDMB).

“If you were here before, you would have saw a falling-down backstop, no benches, no infield, weeds, and it was so much that we had to have kids playing on the grass because it just wasn’t safe. So, to see this today and see these kids out here having a blast is just incredible.”

To celebrate the transformation, DDMB held a grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring local dignitaries, which was followed by a clinic sponsored by Jays Care.

The $160,000 project featured a $54,000 donation from Jays Care which was announced on Sportsnet on May 4, 2025.

Field Of Dreams made possible by TD is Jays Care’s granting program that provides funding to design, refurbish, and build local baseball diamonds in communities across the country.

Construction on Diamond #3 began in August 2025 and completed in May 2026.

“We’ve added the new dugouts, we’ve added the backstop with a nice overhang, the foul line fencing down both sides along with the safety fencing near the houses, we have a home run fence and the new clay infield,” said Lynda Drummelsmith, past president of DDMB.

The changes have allowed the baseball association to accommodate both the girls’ fastball program, minor baseball, and a new accessible pathway to the diamond also means they can host their challenger teams on the diamond.

“There’s so much excitement around the Jays and we knew that there’s more kids that want to play ball and we just couldn’t accommodate them,” said Tait.

“This meant that we could bring in another 75 kids to our program. We’re now managing 25 teams across three diamonds, all located here in Dutton/Dunwich, which is unheard of to try and manage that. It’s just been incredible that we don’t have to limit them. We can offer all forms of baseball and it’s all right here in our backyard.”

The diamond is now packed from Monday to Saturday.

“It’s a legacy,” said Drummelsmith.

“We’ve had kids who played ball that are now parents and they’re now coaches and they’re back in the community. I can’t believe that five years ago, we would have this many kids playing ball. Mary Jo Tait, she’s amazing. She knows where to go to get grants for us, and it’s a game changer.”