Toronto's first accessible baseball diamond to be named Roy Halladay Field

On what would have been Roy Halladay’s 44th birthday, Jays Care Foundation and the City of Toronto announced the naming of Toronto’s first accessible baseball diamond as Roy Halladay Field.Photo: Jays Care Foundation/Twitter

May 14, 2021

Official Toronto Blue Jays News Release

On what would have been the late Roy Halladay’s 44th birthday as the Toronto Blue Jays open a series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Jays Care Foundation and the City of Toronto are pleased to announce the naming of Toronto’s first accessible baseball diamond as Roy Halladay Field.

During his 12 seasons as a Blue Jay, Roy and his family made significant contributions to the Toronto community, including establishing Doc’s Box, which allowed children and families from SickKids to experience the magic of a Blue Jays game live. The legacy of Doc’s Box continues, as thousands of kids continue to attend games annually at Rogers Centre in the Jays Care Community Clubhouse.

Located at Highview Park, Roy Halladay Field will be a safe space for athletes of all abilities to learn and develop important life skills through the game of baseball. The diamond will be used by athletes in Jays Care’s Challenger Baseball program – an adaptive baseball program for Canadian kids living with cognitive and/or physical disabilities.

Toronto City Council formally approved the naming as motion 32.32 during last week’s City Council meeting.

In 2017, Jays Care made a $1 million capital infrastructure investment towards construction of the diamond with additional funding provided by the City of Toronto. Jays Care would like to thank the Barberian family, Andy and Sue Redmond, Musco Lighting, and GAF for their generous support of this project.

Construction of Roy Halladay Field began in 2019 and is expected to be completed this summer. More details on the official opening of Roy Halladay Field will be available at a later date.

QUOTES:

“I am very excited for the completion of this amazing, inclusive baseball field. Roy and I had the privilege of meeting countless inspirational kids and their families through SickKids and our program, Doc’s Box. We often talked about how incredible it would be to have a baseball field where every child could easily be a part of the game that we all love. Roy would be so proud to have his name associated with this project, but he would be even happier to see the faces of the kids and families who will benefit from it. I applaud the people who saw the need and did the work to bring this field of dreams to fruition.” – Brandy Halladay

“The contributions Roy Halladay made to the game of baseball go far beyond the walls of Rogers Centre, so it is fitting to have his legacy extend to a diamond that will positively impact so many Canadians. Baseball should be a game that everyone can enjoy and be proud of, and Roy and Brandy made incredible contributions to that effort during their time in Toronto. The Blue Jays are thrilled that Roy Halladay Field will provide an opportunity for thousands of young people to play the game.” – Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays

“Jays Care Foundation is pleased to recognize and honour Roy’s legacy of providing opportunities to children and youth through our investment in, and the naming of, Roy Halladay Field which will soon be home to thousands of athletes living with disabilities. We would like to thank Brandy, Braden, Ryan and the Halladay family for their support and are excited to welcome them to help celebrate the official opening of Roy Halladay Field.” – Robert Witchel, Executive Director, Jays Care Foundation

“Toronto will always remember Roy Halladay and the great Blue Jays player that he was. But we will also remember Doc’s tireless work to give back to children and families across Toronto. Roy and the Halladay family have left behind a truly meaningful community legacy in our city. It is so fitting to name Toronto’s first accessible baseball diamond after Roy and to recognize his legacy through the thousands of kids of all abilities who will play on Roy Halladay Field for years to come.” – John Tory, Mayor of Toronto

“I am grateful for this partnership in creating the first accessible baseball diamond in the City at Highview Park in Scarborough Southwest. By providing barrier-free access to opportunities that would otherwise not be available, this community resource will have a tremendous impact on the wellness, inclusion and empowerment of children living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.” – Gary Crawford, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 20

“Jays Care continues to demonstrate their leadership in advocating for children and youth living with disabilities. As a proud member of their Challenger Baseball Advisory Committee and a long-time partner, we are very excited to offer programming on Roy Halladay Field which will do so much to further our vision to empower children living with disabilities to be seen, participate and feel included. Jays Care also recently granted Variety $100,000 to help build a baseball-themed practice area at Variety Village and our athletes can’t wait to take advantage of both of these new facilities.” – Karen Stintz, President & CEO, Variety – the Children’s Charity