Just as organizations, businesses, and families across the nation face many difficult and new transitions in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, Danville Parks and Recreation will be forced to cancel the upcoming winter sports basketball league.
Although disappointed, Department Director Bill Sgrinia is hoping to turn a negative into a positive as the department looks to rebuild its sports program.
“Not having a basketball league this season is the last thing we want to see happen this year on top of all of the other disappointments we have faced as a community in the last two years,” he said. “While we may not be able to offer league play, we do intend on hosting less intensive programs such as open gym, skills clinics, and possibly one day tournaments.”
Sgrinia cited staff shortages as being the main reason league play will be canceled this year.
“Due to unexpected turnover, we just do not have the capacity to host the type of season this community deserves,” he said, adding that the department has a lot of work to do to rebuild a quality program that reflects the expectations of the citizens of Danville.
“We want to do this right,” Sgrinia said. “This is a good time to rethink this service and find the right person to lead us into the next chapter of sports and athletics. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to involve participants, parents, coaches, and officials to make sure we create the best possible program.”
Over the next few months, Sgrinia hopes to fill the open positions in the division and, soon after, begin hosting community input sessions.
“It is important to us that the community not only understands what it takes to operate a program that meets modern standards, but is also involved in the decision-making process,” he said. “The whole intent is to improve the program we had and come back with a relevant service that better meets the community’s needs.”
The department is assessing both youth and adult athletic programs and has begun collecting feedback from the community to guide the decision-making process moving forward.
“We see this as an opportunity to build a program based on community input,” Sgrinia said.
Dates for public input sessions will be announced soon. In the meantime, individuals interested in being involved in the process should email Parks and Recreation at playdanvilleva@danvilleva.gov.
Individuals interesting in applying for employment can do so at www.DanvilleVA.gov/jobs. Positions include Athletics Division Director, Program Coordinator, Admin Assistant and Sports Officials.
“If you have experience in building and maintaining a robust community athletics program, please consider applying,” said Sgrinia.