The City Island Little League is looking for community support as it deals with a decline in registration.

Ambrosini Field is home to the City Island Little League, which has been a cornerstone in the community since the 1980's.

"I've been in this league since I was a kid," said Eddie Ciarletta, a coach and parent of players.

Rachel Deney is a coach and one of the league managers.

"I started when my son was in tee-ball. He's now a minor, and it's really a community-oriented group," said Rachel Deney.

With roughly 30 tee-ballers and 15 coach pitch players, the league has been dealing with a decline in registration that almost cost the minors their playing season.

"The minors is where we are struggling with that age group to get enough registrants, the minors we scraped by very squeaky lines, but we are there," said Deney.

While it's hard to pinpoint the exact reason why enrollment numbers are down, a New York state lawmaker is trying to eliminate one barrier that may be holding families back.

The Home Run for Kids Act would give families up to $200 in tax credits to cover the costs associated with sports equipment, so kids don't have to sit on the sidelines.

"If it is a financial hinderance on a family, we do offer scholarships, but if we are the only ones offering scholarships, then that's a little more on our shoulders, so if it's a community-wide thing or even larger corporations that could help with the sponsorships, that would be a big help," said Denehy.

A new rule change by the Little League Baseball is also removing boundaries. For the 2025 season, the league is allowing players ages four to seven to play in any league they want, regardless of where they live.

"We're trying to build really strong community ties, we have a lot of volunteers this year, we are hopeful it will keep going in a positive trend," said Deney.

The league will be holding its season opening ceremony on April 5 at 11 a.m. At the Ambrosini Field.