- April 2, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
When a retired, disabled veteran couldn’t cover the costs of Lakewood Ranch Little League for his child, Alan Dolhi, president of the league, made it work.
“He raked the fields for us, and his kid got to play for free,” Dolhi said. “We have never turned a child away because they couldn’t pay, not one time, and we never will as long as I’m here.”
While the nonprofit doesn’t have a designated scholarship program, the board will find a way to help a family that is experiencing hardship.
But even without extenuating circumstances, the league makes major fundraising efforts to keep the rates affordable for every family that participates.
Each season costs the league over $300,000 in operating expenses between field rentals, lighting, hiring umpires and ordering mounds of clay to regularly replenish the fields.
Player fees don’t cover the entirety of those costs, so the nonprofit fills that gap by hosting fundraisers and selling ads.
Team jerseys and banners tied to the fencing around the fields feature the names and logos of local businesses and families that support the program.
The league's concession stand at Lakewood Ranch Park is also an income generator. The menu was expanded after the purchase of an industrial air fryer, and it sells so much food that Dolhi was able to renegotiate their contract with Sysco (a wholesale food distributor) last year.
The league runs two seasons a year. Fees start at $150 for tee ball and run up to $275 as the kids age into the older programs. Children ages 4-16 can register. Fees include a team jersey, hat, practices, plus 16 games and a playoff tournament.
Everyone involved in the league, outside of umpires, are volunteers. That includes coaches, board members, and the concession stand crew.
The league started as the Manatee G.T. Bray East Little League in 1995 and changed its name to Lakewood Ranch Little League in 2012.
The program has grown to capacity and then some. Dolhi had to “get creative with scheduling” to accommodate 762 kids this spring season, and some kids were still left on the waiting list.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the player’s 10th season or if that player is the next Babe Ruth, spots are doled out on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration opened at 6 a.m. Dec. 15. By noon, 450 children were registered.
“It’s a constant shuffle to keep fitting more kids in,” said Nate Carr, vice president of the league. “We have a good reputation.”
Even though they're all volunteers, if a coach isn’t up to the league’s standards, they’ll be removed mid-season. Bad behavior is not tolerated.
The league has hosted a coach’s clinic the last two years that focuses on skills that stretch far beyond baseball. The clinic stresses the importance of the role a coach plays in motivating young players and building confidence and character.
“We’re competitive when we need to be, but we’re all about having the kids grow,” Dolhi said. “If they learn to throw a curve ball — awesome — but I just want them to be good children, good stewards of the community, and to grow up feeling like they belong to something.”
The league maintains batting cages and eight fields at Lakewood Ranch Park. But given the demand, they also rent fields elsewhere, such as Braden River Park.
In March, Manatee County commissioners approved a contract to build three new ball fields at Country Club East Park.
The $7.2 million fields will include bleachers, dugouts, backstops and restrooms, along with high-end drainage and LED lighting systems.
A 187-spot parking lot to serve the three fields will be another major upgrade. The league is currently working with a 114-spot lot that serves eight fields at Lakewood Ranch Park. When all eight fields are in use, there are a lot of cars parked in the grass.
The new fields will allow the league to serve up to 200 more children and offer something Lakewood Ranch Little League doesn’t have now — an intermediate field, which provides 225 feet between home plate and the fence, for older players starting at age 13.
But the new fields won't solve all the league's capacity issues. Dolhi and Carr expect those additional spots to fill up immediately.
Dolhi noted that he will put kids on a waiting list or refer them to another league, but he won’t say “no.” His creative scheduling this season accommodated an additional 88 kids, so he will keep finding ways to accommodate more players.
“This is character building for these kids,” Carr said. “Most of them are not even going to play baseball in high school, but they’re out here playing an organized sport, getting that activity, instead of running around on e-bikes and playing video games.”
