Matteson Strikes Out In Bid For Little League's Regional HQ

MATTESON, IL — After a 14-month selection process, Matteson swung and missed in trying to land Little League International's Central Region headquarters. The village was one of three finalists, along with Indiana towns Zionsville and Plainfield. But on Friday, the youth baseball organization announced that it had chose Zionsville as the new home for the headquarters, which is currently close by in Indianapolis.

"We are very grateful for all of the communities that were involved in the relocation process, and are thankful to all the leaders within those communities that helped along the way," Little League President and CEO Stephen D. Keener said in a statement Friday concerning the new headquarters.

As part of the bid for the headquarters, Matteson officials had earmarked a 26-acre site northeast of U.S. 30 and Interstate 57 for the league's facility, the Daily Southtown reports. Communities vying for the headquarters also were asked to help raise $1.5 million that would go toward funding the relocation, according to the league's news release.

The Little League organization, which is based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, set up its Central Region headquarters in 1989 in Indianapolis. The facility is one of five regional offices, and it oversees 89 volunteer district administrators, 26,000 teams and 375,000 players in Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to the league.

Image via Little League International