Sunnyside Stadium Softball Commemorative Plaque, 2023
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Resource ID
10421
Access
Open
Address
1491 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto, ON M6K 3C2
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2023
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Caption
Sunnyside Stadium Softball Commemorative Plaque, 2023
Description
The Sunnyside Stadium located here 1924 to 1956 was home to several women's softball leagues in Toronto. Built for the 1924 season, east of the Parkdale Canoe Club (now the Boulevard Club), the stands were often packed with over 5,000 fans watching a game. Admission to the ballpark was 10 cents. Before the 1920s, women were often excluded from organized team sports. After the First World War, women's sports entered a golden age as companies and schools rallied their own teams. Softball became extremely popular for women as a non-contact yet athletic sport. By 1930, the games at Sunnyside regularly drew large crowds, rivalling any other baseball or softball league in Canada. Even Mary Pickford, Oscar-winning actress and co-founder of United Artists, attended a game at the stadium. Once in the wooden bleachers, fans could watch rising softball stars like Thelma Golden (The Strikeout Queen), Billie Hallam (Miss Toronto 1937), and Bobbie Rosenfeld (two-time Olympic medallist) run the bases. The Sunnyside Stadium was demolished in 1956 to clear room for the Gardiner Expressway.