Baseball in the ‘Burg?

MORE: Read more news from Fredericksburg

RELATED: Baseball organizers mum on possible stadium locations

CHAT TRANSCRIPT: Bob Hagan and Matt Kelly, two officials involved in the discussions, answered your questions in a live chat on fredericksburg.com. SEE THE TRANSCRIPT

Officials from Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg and Caroline and local business leaders met last week to discuss the possibility of bringing a professional baseball team and stadium to the region.

During Tuesday night’s Fredericksburg City Council meeting, council member Matt Kelly told colleagues that officials from the city and neighboring counties met with the owners of the Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team and that officials have been meeting on and off for a year to discuss  bringing a team  to the area.

Bob Hagan, a former chairman of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors and the former president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, has been involved in the discussions.

He said right now the group is “a bunch of volunteers”  working on it right now and the goal is to develop support for the concept of professional baseball for the region.

The group is called “RBI-VA,” which stands for Rappahannock Baseball Initiative- Virginia. Hagan said in an email that it included about 20 members of city and county staff , Opening Day CEO Peter Kirk, Opening Day Associate and attorney Jack Lavoie, along with St. Charles County officials (where the Blue Crabs play), stadium staff, the developer who donated the land and community groups who have partnered with the Blue Crabs.

“The meeting was well received and we look forward to hearing from the community at large,” he said.

The group has set up a website  and a Facebook page.

He said they are working with Opening Day Partners, the organization that he says has opened more minor league stadiums than any other organization. The organization owns the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, who play in Waldorf.

Hagan emphasized that minor league stadiums such as Waldorf’s hold more than 250 community events in addition to the baseball games.

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During Tuesday night’s Fredericksburg City Council meeting, council member Matt Kelly told colleagues that officials from the city and neighboring counties met with the owners of the Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team and that officials have been meeting on and off for a year to discuss  bringing a team  to the area.

He didn’t offer many additional details at the meeting.

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