Winston-Salem National Little League History

Winston-Salem National Little League originated in 1960 as the first Little League in Forsyth County, providing young people the opportunity to play organized baseball before high school.  The fledgling League developed an All Star team that went on to become the North Carolina State Champion. 

In the early years, the WSNLL had no home field and scheduled games across the city at recreational facilities.  Due to limited space and coaches, the league only fielded Majors division teams.

In 1962, Hanes Corporation allowed the League to build fields on Stratford Road across from Hanes Mill.  The League created four small fields and offered both Minors and Majors division play.

In 1965, WSNLL moved to its current site on Philips Bridge Road.  The Hanes Corporation provided the rights to play on the property, and the League founders raised the money needed to build the fields.  The founders also provided the capital for a concession/equipment storage building.  Volunteers contributed hours of labor and expertise to make their dream of a permanent home field a reality.

Over the years, division play has been expanded to include Tee Ball, Coach Pitch, Juniors, Seniors and Big League. In 1998, the oldest continuous Challenger program in the county was started.  Finally, in 2007, despite space limitations, the long overdue start of softball at WSNLL occurred.

The Robert Dalton Complex has long held the reputation as one of the nicest in the district for both players and fans.  In 1969 the WSNLL hosted the first Big League World Series and has subsequently hosted three state tournaments in Big League and Majors.  Since 1995 the League has hosted fourteen Minors and Majors District 2 Tournaments.

The success of WSNLL has been due to the hard work of a few men and women with a vision, the hundreds of volunteers over the years, and the thousands of young players who have experienced the thrill of the game.