They say home is where the heart is, but for the Broken Arrow Adult Softball Club players, home plate is where the heart is.

Club President Brad Gordon says some players "live for softball" year-round, playing in the spring, summer, and fall. Some even play during the holiday season in a Grinchmas League with games scheduled until Christmas.

Gordon says the sport fosters a sense of community among its players.

"We bring people together, forming softball teams in our community to exercise, have fellowship with each other, enjoy the game of softball, and compete," Gordon said.

Speaking of bringing people together, a couple who met playing softball in Broken Arrow recently celebrated their marriage on the field.  

"We had a wedding on Field #1 at the Challenger Ball Field," Gordon said. "There's a couple that met on that field three years ago. He proposed to her there one year ago, and they got married on the field this past Saturday."

Gordon says the whole softball community came to the unconventional wedding, where the bride and groom wore softball uniforms instead of traditional attire.

"It was really fun! I mean, they played The Star-Spangled Banner and went around the bases," Gordon said. "The preacher was dressed in an umpire uniform. And so, it's a big deal."

Broken Arrow Adult Softball Club's community of players ranges in age from 16 to 90 years old.

"You can play at 16 years and over, but most of our players are 18 years and up. I think the oldest player we have in our Seniors' League is in his 90s," Gordon said. "We have a team over there that's all 80-year-olds. I think their coach is 90, and a couple of other players may be in their 90s."

The organization offers slow-pitch softball for adults, coed leagues, seniors, women's leagues, and church leagues.

In the spring, there were 132 teams; in the summer, 147 teams; and this fall, 139 teams are playing on four turf fields at the Challenger Sports Complex and two dirt fields at the Indian Springs Sports Complex. There is also a smaller adaptive field for youth and adults with disabilities at the Challenger Sports Complex, which features a turf surface.

Gordon is appreciative of the voter-approved Challenger Sports Complex, which opened in 2021, and was made possible by funds from the 2014 and 2018 General Obligation Bonds.

Unfortunately, he says the facilities at Indian Springs are showing signs of age.

"Here at the Indian Springs Softball Complex, our dugout covers are rotting," Gordon said. "I've had a storm tear off the one on the far dugout; there's no top on it; it's just the frame left. Two of my bleacher canopies are gone. The storms have just destroyed them over the last two or three years."

Like some other sports facilities in the city, Gordon says there is a need to replace the dirt and natural grass on the softball fields with turf.

"We really want the turf conversion to eliminate rainouts and attract more teams to play here," Gordon said. "If everything were turf, everybody would come here for tournaments. For soccer, girls fastpitch, or girls' softball, you're going to play on Saturday, no matter what the weather is doing."

The turf fields would draw more attention from sports organizations in the Midwest and nationally, leading to more tournaments in Broken Arrow, according to Gordon. Sports tourism benefits hotels, restaurants, retail establishments, and other local businesses.

Lighting is also an issue at the Indian Springs Sports Complex.

"The Hubbel lighting is the old system, and it's not very good. We want LED lighting, which will reduce the electric bills," Gordon said.

Other improvements he would like to see at the Indian Springs Al Graham Fields include a repainted concession stand, a remodeled kitchen, a playground, and new scoreboards.

Gordon is hopeful that an eighth proposition on the 2026 General Obligation Bond package will help improvements to Broken Arrow's sports facilities become a reality.

"Proposition 8 will help all of our sports complexes," Gordon said. "There's an enormous number of projects right now on the entire bond, and they're all fantastic, whether it's from our streets, our sewer, our downtown area, the police and fire departments. But we can't let our sports complexes not be upgraded. We've got to keep up with everyone else."

Gordon says other cities have already made the upgrades to turf or will be doing so soon. He is worried that Broken Arrow will fall behind without improvements to these facilities.

“It's important for our youth, it's important for our community, and for our adults to have somewhere to exercise, and have fellowship with their friends and play some ball," Gordon said.

For more information about the Broken Arrow Adult Softball Club, go to challengerssoftball.com.