Last month, the Miracle League of North Alabama, located in Huntsville, celebrated the grand opening of its baseball complex at Braham Spring Park. The accessible baseball field is now ready for the 165 kids and adults with special needs who are signed up to play baseball this fall, plus the complex includes a truly inclusive playground and a one-of-a-kind concrete statue of Homer, the Miracle League’s mascot.

Miracle League logo in PebbleFlex® surfacing.

The grand opening event welcomed nearly 200 people from Huntsville and surrounding communities. People in attendance learned about the history of The Miracle League Association, the national organization that designs and constructs custom baseball fields for children with mental and/or physical challenges, from Executive Director Diane Alford. Additionally, the mayor of Huntsville, named and dedicated the field Johnny Franklin Field, after Johnny Franklin, North Alabama’s league director, the league developer for the national office and the driving force behind the project in Huntsville.

Inclusive PlayBooster® Vibe™ play structure with PebbleFlex safety surfacing.

We’re proud to say that we were involved in each main component of the baseball complex. The accessible baseball field was created using PebbleFlex® safety surfacing, which features custom color blends and graphics including the Miracle League logo. The inclusive playground features a PlayBooster® Vibe™ playstructure, and uses a variety of multi-sensory playground components like the Rollerslide, Cozy Dome®, OmniSpin® spinner and Oodle Swing®.

The Miracle League mascot, Homer, constructed of concrete.

Unique to the Miracle League of North Alabama’s complex is the concrete statue of Homer. The statue, constructed of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), is completely custom designed and was hand-painted by Landscape Structures’ artists. Homer is positioned behind home plate, and provides a distinctive photo opportunity for visitors to the baseball complex.