All the coaches are great and encouraging, the office staff are friendly. I love that there's a small playground for my younger child to stay busy while the older one plays ball. Everyone is a volunteer, but there are no parent volunteering requirements for your kid to play. read more

Both my kids played here for many many years, now all of my grandkids are playing here. We will always stay with JOBL. Thank You for so many years of great memories. read more

Worst league for girls! Boys side is better, from what I have heard. Umpires are completely unfair and biased. Best if you take your daughters to PHBA as they coach and make girls learn to play at better level. Umpires have two different strike zones depending on what team is batting and pitching. Strike zones below the knees teaches girls to golf not play softball. Umpire that walks around during the inning and gets in the way of the girls is wrong. It Completely sucks that umpires have a predetermined deposition on what team "will win" and call plays favorably for that team. read more

This league is a mess. I'm astounded at how poorly run JOBL is. I've watched these kids play baseball for 4 years and it is non-stop utter chaos at this games and the way this business is run. Management is secretive. Meetings about financing aren't public information. Games are monitored by volunteers who are not propery train and their isn't any oversight. Parents are unhappy that the organization is so bad; that there's favoritism; that no one seems to be in charge. Coaches are unhappy that management doesn't support them. Kids get to watch parents fighting and yelling at each other, the coaches and umpires, and the kids! It just goes on and on. This whole snack shack deal - when Don comes into the snack shack, take a wad of cash out of the cash register and put it in his pocket and walks out the door, the parents have every right to be suspicious and upset. This is not accountability. read more

I visited the league to watch a friend's child play. I was amazed how run down the facilities were. The league has slowly evaporated from 1250 players to about 500. I saw the league president. She looked like death. I guess much has not changed. read more

Jobl has been around for close to 40 years. Thousands of kids have had great experiences here and my 2 are in that group. I played out here for 10 years and now my girls have been out here for almost as long. There is no tee for the little ones so they have to learn hit a pitch an guess what, they do. There are also strike outs for little ones as well and guess what, they survive and try harder to learn to hit. I have coached out here for 8 years and yes there are frustrations. It is a volunteer league so we maintain the fields and work the snack shack. It's not a lot of work. Our society LOVES to complain and yelp gives us all the avenue to do so. About 400 kids play each season. There are about 6-7 bad reviews on here, some with legit issues and some from people that lead the league in whining. Life is what you make it. Giving kids a good experience takes effort so if I have to chalk a field or work a couple hours a year slinging fries on a Saturday morning so my kid can make friends, play ball, get some self confidence, and make great memories then I'll do it. read more

My girls have been here for a total of 4 years now. The coaches are great. Yes, we volunteer a lot. My girls learn a lot too. A lot more than their friends have in other leagues. read more

I played at JOBL as a kid and now my kids play here. They love it here and have learned a lot and made a lot of friends. It is fun and safe for the kids. It is a volunteer league, but I see a lot of talk from people but only a handful of people stepping up. When the fields are soaked by the rains it is the same people that work to prepare them for everyone. read more

Great facility that teaches the game of baseball and softball at an early age. Games are competitive and exciting. Players can start as early as four(4) years old. There are great opportunities for coaching as the league is ran by volunteers. My players have played ball here for many years and will continue to play ball here. read more

Junior Optimist Baseball League - Amateur Sports Teams Near Me - Concord, California

See all

Do you want your kids to learn Baseball/softball ? There is not a league out there that is as competitive as jobl ! Jobl is were you want your kids to be if you want hitters . Other leagues can bring it but can't compare . I wouldn't take my Valley boy or my debs daughter anywhere else . Yes there is a couple things needs help on , but nothing that can't be fixed . If you're thinking baseball for your kids , you should really try JOBL ! read more

Left this league a couple of years ago, looking back it was the best move I could've made. Attendance has been dwindling down for years to the point that 13 and 14 year olds are playing with the 11 and 12 year olds. Not a good way to develop young players. Some would like to think attendance has dropped due to the economy, but in reality the league in Pleasant Hill has record attendance, and it gets bigger every year. I've ran into other people from JOBL and they admit the place is stil run like it was the 70's. The politics can be overwhelming and it seems that the board members go with the flow instead of actually voice there own opinions. I see the fields and it seems like there's the same brown spots in the outfield that my daughter use to hit the ball into. A few years back the league prepped and dumped money into a tournament field in the back and never played/hosted any tournaments on it. I did feel bad for JOBL when they came to pleasant hill for a tournament last summer. The 10U Division played pleasant hill straight up and JOBL got smoked 20-1. Was just sad to see a league that was at one time so talented no longer had competitive/competent coaches. After reading the other reviews I must admit they all seem to be reasonably true. When will the madness stop? Now getting e mail from current parents at JOBL saying the League President is making teams get the embroidery through her daughter. read more

Not for the kids at all. It's for the people who run it and their pocket books. They take in so much money and the kids see hardly any. instead it fattens their pockets. Do your home work! Talk to people! And hopefully you choose something better for your kids. We chose a better league this year and the difference is night and day. read more

I played out there myself as a kid and Patti ran the dog and pony show back then also! She's made a good living out there and its obvious that her daughter has also. They make their own rules and if those rules dont suit them, they change them as they see fit. They're happy to bend rules as long as it benefits them personally. And ya, they've been claiming complex improvements forEVER yet the place has looked the same for many, many years. But guess what? Go and look at their houses and cars, THATS where you'll see the improvements. The "board of directors" has changed several times with the exception of the people who handle all the money....Patti, snack shack don and their treasurer. They all have new cars and remodeled homes. All I have to say is KARMA. read more

Lots of old reviews scare me because they are 1 star reviews. I look at the place now and so much has changed. The new city playground, the new fields, the new fencing and not everything is painted green anymore. Does it still have its issues, yeah. Has it changed, YES! Volunteers are actively stepping forward to help improve the complex and it looks GREAT! My kid has now played there for 4 years and I can see the positive changes on and off the fields. Coaches are teachings kids how to play ball competitively and teaching them life long lessons at the same time. Come check it out! Come see the new JOBL, where everything is changing except the name. read more

My grandson played in this mess for the first and last time. How an organization can be so bad it amazes me that are still around. No practices before the first game and the coach arrived 5 minutes BEFORE the game started. He was horrible. Guess they don't screen the coaches and the teams are not equal. He will never nor should anyone want to put their grandchildren or child in this league. Horrible... read more

My grandsons love baseball but all the money that goes in is being spent somewhere besides the baseball fields. The place is falling apart and if anything does get fixed it is by volunteers. Where is all the money going? read more

JOBL is a great league! We just finished our third spring season for the boys side and our first season for the girls side and we are looking forward to many more to come! There were a lot of changes this year one being the website and better access to information through that site. We were able to keep in contact with team parents easier through the site. joblconcord.com Every league has pros and cons and it depends what you are looking for with your child in mind. We were looking for the competitiveness and learning the skills needed to move up to the next level. The Pee Wee Division is the best around for that age group and teaches them the rules of baseball, not hitting off a tee, not everyone bats around every inning, etc. read more

I too had been with JOBL for many years. My daughter played out there for years, and in the beginning it was a really good, but the more involved I got, the more I saw how it really was. These posts, and I have read them and it is sad to say that they are all pretty accurate. I have to agree with all of them. There is a ton of favoritism in that league, and if you are not related or part of the "In" crowd, forget it. I too was on the board, worked in the office, special events, I did a ton of volunteering, was out at those fields almost every day of the week. Once I got that involved, I realized that it was a real mess there. I left in the middle of the "Travel" ball season, went to a new team in a new city. We won lots of games, got to go to World Series, won "World Series", but the best part is that my daughter actually had fun. There was not any politics about whose child, even if they were not ready, got to play travel ball. No rules about who got to play. No micro managing from the board. We had an awesome travel ball coach, who got his hands tied by the "President" telling him who could and could not be on the team, who should get more innings while playing, etc. All of this "Coaching" on the sidelines by someone who never even came out and watched any of these games or practices. All because one of her "In" crowd parents had a child on the team--who did not think they were getting enough play time. Really sad. My daughter has since aged out of softball, graduated, and moved on, but I am now enjoying watching my niece and nephew play ball at Pleasant Hill and it is so much fun. Not as many restrictions, the girls and boys are learning, having fun, and so are the parents. The team my niece plays on is has about 1/2 of its girls from JOBL. So many people leaving the league. When we were there, it was always tons of kids, now, not so many. It really is too bad for the kids. Maybe it is time for some leadership change. This league had the ability to really be good for the local kids, but the adults are messing it up. Babe Ruth League needs to wake up and remove the board and start fresh. Bring this league back to where it used to be before it is gone. Just my opinion. read more

i signed my daughter and niece up this year for debs softball (ages 4-6) when filling out the registration i told one of the employes that i needed them to be on the same team. the lady said no problem as long as they have the same address.. i think no problem, they do have the same address.. the league ended up putting them on separate teams and said there is no way to have the teams switched. even though both coaches are willing to make trades and the practices haven't even started.. the president of the league steve said they have to stay on separate teams. i said there is no way i can handle that being im the only one taking them to and from practices.. when i asked for my money back he said they don't give refunds. i paid $370 and now have to take them to court... read more

Wow! I don't know where to start with JOBL, this organization is a joke, it doesn't care about the kids learning, all they seem to care about is money! They hold the parents hostage with duties and outrageous fees. We pay umpire fees for umpires who show favoritism or they don't know what they are doing. There is no consistency and no wonder our kids are confused in there playing abilities! There is politics with the draft, the teams are unevenly matched and we could not use the fields to practice. We had to go practice at a city field or school field, or wherever we could find a field. This was not right for our girls. I guess if you're not on the traveling team then the regular teams doesn't matter. I'm sorry my daughter played with this league. read more

Our kids used to be in this league also. Corruption at its best. The snack shack never makes money. However it takes 10 people to run it and the line is twenty people deep during games. How can you not make a profit when your only overhead is electricity??? The Presidents son is the biggest joke there. He goes around like he owns the place and has no accountability for all the BS that he does. He has to be the worst coach that I have ever seen. I have personally seen him belittle 9 year olds in games to the point where they would start crying. God forbid you tell his mom the President. If you do your days will be numbered in the league. And don't get me started on the President. She has been caught in so many lies its not even funny. She will even tell you a lie when it would have been better to tell you the truth. What is impressive is that you have around 1,000 kids in the league and by the time your said and done with registration and fundraisers your out about $180.00. Thats $180,000 a year. Now the league reuses uniforms, pays $1.00 for the use of the fields. So you are paying for electricity, water, insurance, maintenance (which is volunteer, unless your a family member or friend, then you get paid). Where are they spending $180,000??? Don't have your kids playing there and ask to see the books, you and your family will be on their way out of the league. But not before rumors are spread about things you have never done to muddy your name. The newest scam before we left was the daughter of the President. The story was made up that they were not able to get uniforms from there previous vendor because the jerseys were going to be slightly different. The logical solution would be to replace an entire team or two at a time until all jerseys are replaced?? Not their solution. They decided that the daughter would provide the jerseys for the league. I heard they paid $25.00 each for some T-shirts. Can you say "Conflict of Interest". I could go on and on, but I bet your question is how does this go on in a non profit league? Well when the President has been there for over 30 years, and you have no By-Laws, and if anyone trys to run for President they get ran out of the league, then these things will happen. In fact if anyone wanted to run for President there is no way of knowing what the process is. People in the past have tried, and there not there now. Luckily there are other places to have your kids play baseball and softball. If our kids weren't able to play somewhere else we would just play soccer. My advice is to look elsewhere to play baseball and softball until the reign of the Behmlanders is over. read more

Horrible, horrible for girls softball. Favoritism, lack of organization, priorities for the "in" crowd---which i would never be a part of anyway. Pulled my daughter from MTZ league to try something different. Well, it is certainly different. Very negatively different. My daughters coach calls practices 3 hours before they start, and then threatens to drop any girls that miss 3 practices...halfway through the season. Hard to tell who manager/coach is, as he still has not been considerate or responsible enough to BUY A SHIRT OR HAT TO REPRESENT THE GIRLS HE COACHES FOR!!! Multiple calls to office result in nothing than league officials basically laughing at concerns. Wait til they get 50 negative yelps, the remainder of ther girls teams leaving to go elsewhere, AND a complaint filed to Babe Ruth league in regards to the lack of concern for which this league exhibits every opportunity they have, DO NOT LET YOUR DAUGHTER PLAY IN THIS LEAGUE OR SHE MAY NEVER WANT TO PLAY AGAIN. ANY LEAGUE IN ANY CITY WOULD BE A BETTER CHOCE THAN THIS Joke Of a Baseball League. read more

Just finished our third and last season there. My son was lucky to have had good coaches and has learned a lot but everything else wasn't that great. You pay the money and there's nothing to show for it. The fields are crap, they take advantage of the volunteers and the umpires are hit or miss. I know this season started rough with the refinery strike but it took the board way too long to get it going. The kids did not get an official opening ceremony, no parade/carnival or hit a thon (although you still had to pay the minimum fee regardless) and picture day was on opening day between games, which is really tough when you want them to look their best for the pictures. Honestly, I was ok with all that initially but when the favoritism started showing, it really changed my perspective on the league. I don't that's fair for the kids and coaches that are truly there to play ball. To me, it seems like it isn't about the kids there, it's for the people who run it and the people they know. If it wasn't for some of the good coaches and the parents, I think we would have left after the first season. They definitely need to rethink about the way they run this league. It would be a good league if they were fair and spent the money collected on improvements and for they kids. read more

Played with PHBA last year n thought I could save a few $ joining JOBL this yr. My older son played JOBL about 7 yrs ago n it was good! Very competitive, learned a lot. 7 yrs later....I swear the same bleacher bench is in the same exact spot on the ground by the far field behind the snack shack. The league has gotten very expensive but has nothing to show for it (hit a thon n selling candy that nobody wanted to buy so I had to come up with the cash...already $100 over the registration fee). The snack shack has totally gone to crap and needs to be inspected by the health Dept n shut down. It's dirty, bird poop and debris everywhere n that's just from the outside. Why not hose it down a few times during the season? The woman running it has a tracheotomy hole in her neck (what if she coughs? Where does the mucus go? Ew), scabs and band aids covering her arms and blatantly sucks nacho cheese off her fingers as she passes the nachos to the window. Jus nasty, completely unsanitary. She is also rude, on a power trip (it's a damn youth league snack shack...get over yourself) and stares at you to the point where it is uncomfortable. The fields r full of potholes, parking lots full of potholes, fields flood and so do the dugouts, bleachers r falling apart, score keeper box falling apart, THERE STILL ARE NO BATHROOMS OR RUNNING WATER TO WASH YOUR HANDS. Yep...port-OH-potty central folks (God help you if you r trying to help a little one go to the bathroom). The age ranges for the teams are horrible (ex. 4 yr old girls playing with 7 yr olds, 6 yr old boys playing with 9 yr olds that r travel ball players) and apparently because of low enrollment some of the divisions have been Eliminated. One practice a week if you're lucky. The umps suck...I swear the one guy is hung over at every game and isn't actually engaged, worst calls Ive ever seen. I expected my kids to learn and develop and that jus simply isn't happening. You literally get out of JOBL what u put into it. Meaning, if you're coaching your kid and putting in work n hitting the cages u will see results. But if u never played ball and are expecting the league to coach n teach your player...forget it...ain't gonna happen...it's impossible to get that out of one practice a week. However, the coaches were all very nice and very fair (no favoritism that I noticed). We will definitely be going back to PHBA. It's less expensive, way more organized, clean, has bathrooms with flushing toilets n running water, free batting cages with lights, the fields are waaaay better (except for the 14 yr olds...they play at PHMS across the street), everyone fr the folks running the league to the parent volunteers were nice, very fun friendly family environment and you can bring your dog! Also, important to note, when we showed up for evaluations some dude comes out of the area by the office/storage and starts going on about how "this isn't that league where every kid plays, u have to be good!" Well y the hell r u taking everyone's money? And so much of it! Where's it all going? And....Your league isn't good anymore...so what should be done about that? read more

David T. is a nice guy and has been coaching for JOBL and on the Board for years. I would suggest David go to one of the City leagues which are run much better and don't have the issues JOBL has had for the last 40 years. I had kids who tried JOBL for a 2 years based on a friends recommendation. I should have taken the hint since their daughters no longer played at JOBL. Without saying anything about the staff or coaches I will just say I never knew how fun Girls Softball could be until we moved away from JOBL. Please do your research if other leagues cost more check the fund raising your are going to be required to do at JOBL. There is not a cost difference you are going to pay close to the same and if City leagues cost a little more pay the difference it is well worth the money. DON'T put your kids or family through this organization. It almost killed our kids drive to play sports and today they are having fun and are starting players on travel ball. read more