About Us
BAJA Sporting Club serves the greater Green Valley-Sahuarita area through sports, organized social activities and by assisting local civic programs. Our club currently has approximately 350 active members who regularly participate in club sponsored senior sports activities (including softball, golf, and bowling) as well as engage in fundraising and volunteer efforts to assist local charities and civic activities.
Vision
To be recognized as the "Best Senior Sports Club" in southern Pima County by providing quality opportunities for its members to participate in senior sports and social-civic activities.
Mission
To assist active seniors in the greater Green Valley, Arizona region to maximize their retirement years by providing members the best in sports programs, recreational, and social activities. To assist the greater community of southern Pima County's Green Valley area by assisting with charitable events and local civic programs. To advance the development of plans for local public recreation facilities that serve our members and the community.
Values
- Dedicated to providing organized recreational and social-civic activities for active senior members based upon core values of diversity, dignity and respect.
- Maintain a focused commitment to developing new social and recreational programs to further improve the diverse life styles of its members.
- All members are empowered to develop and promote good sportsmanship and demonstrate exemplary citizenship in all of BAJA's activities.
Goals
- Welcome all senior families in the greater Green Valley-Sahuarita area wishing to join and actively support BAJA's Vision, Mission, and Values.
- Help interested seniors achieve a diverse and satisfying life style through sports, social activities and civic projects.
- Obtain the year-round use of sports complexes from public recreational departments to help meet growing needs of BAJA members.
- Continue to advance development of public recreation facilities that meet the community’s needs.
- Maintain BAJA as an incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization managed by a Board of Directors to ensure BAJA's plans are skillfully and thoughtfully executed.
- Continue to select and train a team of members who are interested and capable in long-range planning, managing, and promoting the BAJA Sporting Club.
Our History
Our Founders
In 1996 a committee of interested softball players from the Green Valley, Arizona area started meeting to review and discuss the viability of forming a team sports group. Many members of the committee had played and/or coached competitive sports in high school, college, or the military. They foresaw the growing need for an organized sports club that would give continuing recreational direction for the rapidly growing senior community in the greater Green Valley, Arizona region. Initially, the club sports focused on softball and golf. Bowling was added later.
In 1998 the BAJA Sporting Club formally organized as an Arizona non-profit organization. Original committee members were Jim Kelly (the first President), Ivan Allison, Chuck Catino, Ray Fleener, Mickey Green, Jim Carr, and John Fawcett. BAJA now respectfully refers to this group of visionaries as the club's "Founding Fathers."
For many retirees, joining BAJA becomes an act of rebirth for former athletes, so to play on our location which is sometimes called Baja, Arizona ("Lower Arizona" in Spanish), the founders created the name “Born Again Jocks Association.” There is no religious affiliation, but lots of physical and social fun!
From Anamax to Sahuarita Park
BAJA softball started as one league playing softball at Anamax Park and later at the Sahuarita Park fields. The club helped maintain the fields by buying a tractor (Ivan Allison, Ron Klopf)-- much to Pima County’s appreciation, putting BAJA in good standing with the County.
Walden Grove High School opened for the 2011-12 school year next to Sahuarita Park. The school expected to use the fields during the times that BAJA softball had pre-arranged with Pima County. BAJA had been developing and maintaining the ball fields for years. The County ruled the school could not deny BAJA’s use of these public fields. After much negotiation, creativity and a school auditorium full of BAJA softball players, the school agreed to contribute $160,000 to help BAJA build their own fields in exchange for exclusive use of the Sahuarita Park fields.
And what came next:
Development of Canoa Preserve Park and The Chuck Catino Softball Complex →
