Female-driven baseball facility opens its doors

The doors are officially open at 'Between the Lines' - Barrie's newest batting cages.

A brand new, female-driven sports facility is opening its doors in Barrie this weekend.

Between the Lines will offer a multitude of sports including softball, baseball, cricket and lacrosse, with the capacity to hold up to 100 people.

The new indoor facility, owned and operated by two women Brittani Goettsch and Crystal Graveson, is expected to be a safe space for women in sports.

“I’ve always been working for strong men that maybe didn’t take my point of view as valid in any way,” Goettsch says. “So this is kind of me giving back to the women in the community knowing what they went through.”

Goettsch told CTV News it’s important to have female coaches in the region.

“A lot of the coaches are males,” she says. “Younger girls are going through different things and I can relate to them.”

While the facility will focus on female athletes throughout the community, Goettsch says it’s open to all walks of life.

Goettsch says she has been playing the sport since she was three years old, grew up training in baseball facilities and has been working in them for 10 years.

She received a scholarship to play ball in the U.S. where she began coaching.

Having coached people of all ages, Goettsch says she has recently started preparing young women to also pursue their baseball dreams. She says the facility is specializing in getting players to that next level.

Graveson looks forward to bringing her granddaughters to Between the Lines.

‘“There wasn’t enough for kids in Barrie,” she says.

Graveson says the facility fills a need in the community.

“A lot of the places are very male-driven and a lot of women don’t feel comfortable so it’s nice of them to have a space where they can feel comfortable,” Graveson says.

Goettsch wants to grow sports that are prominent in the community.

“Women in sports – it’s a huge movement and we would love to be a part of that.”

The facility is currently open for rentals and private lessons.

During the grand opening, the Between the Lines is offering $15 off lane use for batting cages, cricket, lacrosse and general training.

The facility will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, located at 33 Alliance Boulevard, Units 9 and 10 in Barrie.