Lights Out Softball builds Five Towns community
Pickup games that began in 2024 have grown into a Thursday night league with playoffs and a focus on friendships off the field.
Lights Out Softball, a new league that plays on the dirt fields at North Woodmere Park, started as informal pickup games in 2024 and now runs a seven-game season followed by playoffs on Thursday nights, the Nassau Herald reported. Organizer David Kaye, 36, a North Woodmere resident who works in regulatory compliance, said his WhatsApp groups have grown to more than 350 people, with pickup rosters filling in minutes. He said he never advertised.
Kaye co-runs the league with Akiva Hoffman of South Valley Stream, who joined the pickup games last year and pushed to turn them into something more competitive. Hoffman said players have gathered at his home for meals after practices at Valley Stream South High School. He bought squeeze bottles with the league logo and his company's brand for members. The league charges $49 per player per season, which Kaye said covers park permits and umpires.
Players range from high school age to their mid-40s and come from the Five Towns and the Rockaways, Kaye said. Cedarhurst resident Kuti Doberg, 44, who has played softball in the park for 15 years, brings his 10-year-old son to games. Kaye's son also joins in. Doberg said the league connects people he might not meet in daily life. Kaye said he hopes the relationships last beyond the final out, and he plans an end-of-summer barbecue.