"I always wondered why we never had a facility like those in the city," Jacobs said. "I know how popular baseball is at Shoshone, and I thought it made a lot of sense to put something there. I thought if I was able to secure money to get close to where they needed to be, they could start planning to make this a reality."

"We can't have enough facilities to keep all of our teams practicing and to make sure we are providing the best programming possible for our teams," said Delaware Soccer League board member Garrett Timms.

The North Buffalo plan would benefit those who live in nearby communities, as well, said Manno.

"There's no centrally located place for city kids, or even if you're a kid from Tonawanda, Kenmore or the Northtowns," Manno said.

Rocco N. Diina, whose 8-year-old plays baseball at Shoshone Park, thinks building an indoor facility there is a "no-brainer."

It would level the playing field for city families who don't own cars, Diina said.

"It's taken for granted that everyone has a car, and that's not always the case," he said. "We draw from different economic backgrounds, and it's good to see they will all have a fair shot to enjoy baseball year-round."