Sanford Mainers players of the 2025 season line up on the third baseline prior to an NECBL playoff game.
Photo: Abby Harris
By Dave Ouellette
As the Sanford Mainers baseball team enters its 25th season at Goodall Park, it’s a good time to recap the impact this organization has had locally.
The team’s home, Goodall Park, was built after a devastating fire in 1997 destroyed the original 1915-era grandstand. Using insurance money and successful fundraising, the city rebuilt the beautiful venue we have today. The Sanford Parks and Recreation Department, under the leadership of Marcel Blouin, looked for ways to maximize the new park’s use. In 2001, the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) approached Blouin about establishing a new team in the league.
Recognizing a great opportunity to fill the seats at Goodall and provide affordable family summer fun for the Sanford area, Blouin reached out to local businessmen H. Allen Mapes, Geoff Titherington, Ron Woodward, and Neil Olsen to lead the effort and establish a team here. In June of 2002, teams from throughout New England, consisting of all-star-caliber college players, began playing in Sanford. The league schedules 44 games in the June/July season with 22 home games. Post-season playoffs add to the schedule.
Prior to the 2003 season, other local businessmen including Bob Hardison, Joe Vitko, Bob Gonyou, Gary Miller, and Curtis Jacks joined the organization to provide more assistance and operating capital. Eventually, the group converted entirely to a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.
During the Mainers’ 24 successful seasons, more than a quarter of a million fans have attended regular season games at Goodall Park. Add to that another nearly 25,000 fans witnessing 18 post-season playoff appearances, and the organization proudly boasts that over 275,000 local and national attendees have enjoyed watching exciting collegiate baseball games at our home park.
Most of the attendees are area residents enjoying this summer pastime. However, family and friends of the players travel to Sanford to visit from around the country and Canada. Add to that the fans of opposing teams who are following their players, and it makes for a large geographic blend of people entering our community. They have all been amazed at how beautiful and comfortable Goodall Park is and how friendly the local fans are. Many spend their summer vacations enjoying the area watching the boys of summer play, while supporting area restaurants, lodging venues, stores, etc.
Players come from away, too. In the 24 years the Mainers have played at Goodall Park, 603 players have traveled here from 159 different colleges in 31 states. Team members have come from 38 states, four Canadian provinces, and three island nations.
It could be argued that the Sanford Mainers are the single best entity putting our city on the nationwide map. Many players and their families would never know Sanford Maine even existed if not for this baseball experience. Increasing the team’s exposure is visibility on the NECBL network as it live streams all league games. More recently, selected games have been broadcast on the ESPN+ network. Mainers’ games televised from Goodall Park as well as from away have been viewed nationwide.
In addition, many of the folks who help run the Mainers operation, from organizing the college internship program to broadcasting games to managing volunteers and game days, come from away. These workers are invaluable in assisting the local volunteer base who spend countless hours behind the scenes to produce a fun evening for a group that has been averaging more than 500 fans per game.
What to expect: The Mainers’ silver anniversary season celebration will include hosting the NECBL All-Star game in July (more on that at a later date). The best players from all 13 teams will descend upon Goodall for the day, which will begin with an exciting home run derby. Following that is a game with the Northern division all-stars taking on their Southern counterparts for bragging rights. In attendance will be Major League Baseball scouts from all over the country who are developing their draft lists while determining which players might advance to the next level competition after college.
Thousands of players chase the dream of playing in the MLB, but very few actually make it to the “big dance.” The Mainers franchise has been fortunate to have several dozen players drafted over the years and play in the minor leagues as well as other independent professional leagues. To date, the team is especially proud to have nine players make it to the major leagues.
It is imperative to mention that the team is responsible for paying a large portion of the revenue to the city for maintaining Goodall Park in its pristine condition. Since the team has been established, many major improvements have been funded privately as donors have realized the value of the team to the community as its anchor tenant.
The organization is also proud to work with many local nonprofit groups who assist in running the concession stand, with each group receiving a donation from the team for their efforts. This past season, the Mainers joined forces with the Sanford Police Department and hosted the annual National Night Out event where citizens can rub elbows with local law enforcement and take in a game. This was a successful event with an overflowing crowd. Add to that was a theme night where many non-profits set up displays in the concourse so fans can browse and learn more about their organizations.
In addition, the Boomer’s Bookworms program, named for a team mascot, helps boost literacy for area youngsters. Students who sign up are prompted to increase their reading skills to earn Mainers game tickets and to be introduced to the crowd when they attend. This program was the brainchild of the team’s business manager, Andrea Knight, with full support from the board of directors. The result has been overwhelming, with more than 3,700 students from Sanford and other area school districts participating. A children’s activity book featuring Mainers’ mascots Broose and Boomer is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2026 to help enhance the educational experience of students.
Without the concerted community effort of sponsors, donors, volunteers, host families, fans, etc., the team would not be able to continue providing affordable family fun locally while spreading the Sanford Maine name across the country. With continued support from the City of Sanford and all groups noted above, we can begin planning for a golden 25th anniversary celebration.
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