Family Brings Historic Freehan Field Back to Life, Launches GoFundMe to Save Local Sports Legacy

In Waterford Township, a baseball diamond from 1972 sits behind a family's new home. Originally built in a partnership between Detroit Tigers star Bill Freehan and a Waterford police officer, this field waits for its second chance.

Katie Belliotti spotted the field in a real estate listing. As a former college softball player and coach, she knew it was special. "I had never even heard of it, even though I live in this town. So, I looked at the listing and I called my husband and I was like we have to look at this house, we have to buy it. We weren't even looking for a house," Belliotti said, according to WXYZ.

Time had taken its toll on the historic baseball diamond. Grass grew untamed. The backstop rusted. The once-bright scoreboard went dark. But when Marjorie Zizelman -- Belliotti's niece and a softball player herself -- first saw the historic field, she could see past the worn spots and bare patches. "I could see the potential it had and just the opportunities it's going to make for all the kids in the area."

Belliotti hopes her daughter's team, The Lady Outlaws, will soon call this field home. But Belliotti isn't stopping there. She plans to open it up to other teams at lower costs, with the vision of a field accessible to the whole community. "We can rent the field out to them for 50, 60 dollars comparable to 100, 200 dollars that other fields charge," Belliotti said.

To help fix the field, they've started a GoFundMe page. Each donation brings this patch of local sports history closer to its next chapter.