MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – Young baseball players in Gloucester County are worried about the future of their team because they now have to pay an exorbitant amount to use a field that was once free.

The team, the South Jersey Braves, braved the heat Wednesday night for a scrimmage between its 9U and 10U teams. But they’re playing on a field in Glassboro rather than a field in Monroe Township, where they’re based.

Chuck Mauriello, head coach of the 13U SJ Braves, said, “They are involved in all sports in the city of Monroe.”

The coaches say they paid $40 to use the field on Wednesday, something they recently did as part of an agreement with surrounding cities after their city gave them the unexpected news about a month ago.

The coaches said the traveling baseball and softball organization has used the fields in their community for free for 10 years. Now the community wants to charge a fee.

“We were told that we would have to pay $150 per hour to use the fields with lights and $100 per hour to use the fields without lights,” Mauriello explained.

They state that a residency requirement is now being used as the basis for the charges.

9U SJ Braves head coach Steve Kohri explained, “It was only this year that we were informed that we now have to pay because our team is not 100 percent Monroe native (about 70 percent are).”

Coaches, teams and their families attended a meeting in Monroe Township to voice their displeasure during the public hearing. Mayor Greg Wolfe says the city is simply implementing an existing sports advisory manual and ordinance created by the president of sports organizations over a decade ago.

Wolfe says the city needs to be fair to all sports organizations. The city does have a Little League, but the SJ Braves say they offer a higher level of baseball.

“The parents or the players want to play at a higher level, but that comes at a price because they are not mentioned in the sports advisory handbook,” said Mayor Wolfe.