Effingham County’s Recreation Director Clarence Morgan sat down with Effingham Magazine recently to talk about the county’s Recreation & Sports Management department. With over 50 years of service in the county, Morgan has been prominent in building the county’s sports programs and knows everything there is to know about the department, past and present. Morgan says “I was born in Shawnee, went to Effingham High School and to then Georgia Southern. I started working as a teacher and a coach and went part time with Rec in 1980 and full time in 1999 when retiring from teaching and coaching. ”He says, “I’ll be 74 in June, and I plan to keep on going!”

They started with “zero facilities that belonged to Effingham County”, because the few ball fields that existed then belonged to individual cities. Today the department oversees 15 facilities, including the 120-acre Clarence Morgan Recreation Complex and Josh Reddick Stadium. The facilities include boat ramps, a lake, baseball, football, softball, soccer fields, playgrounds, gyms and track facilities.

Recreation Department Facts

Youth sports:

Baseball & softball:  85 - 95 teams, (1000 kids). They also serve approximately 25 travel teams. 

Soccer: 50 to 75 teams. They also serve an additional 20- 22 club teams.

Basketball:  60-65 teams

Cheerleading: 19 teams

Football: 13 -18 teams

Volleyball: 10 to 12 teams

Lacrosse: 3 teams 

Track: 110 -130 participants

Many youth camps, such as basketball, football, soccer, volleyball and cheer camps, are offered throughout the summer. 

Adult sports include kickball, softball, flag football and volleyball. They also host other adult activities such as Bingo for Senior Adults and Line Dancing Classes.

Special Events include the Annual Jacan Brown Coke Spring Run, the 2nd Annual Family Freeze-Out, the Annual Egg Hunt, October’s Trunk or Treat and the Recognition Picnic held every summer. Morgan says he and his team “Think outside the box to create special events to ensure that everything is free, and we have something for everyone!”

Clarence Morgan Recreation Complex

Effingham County newest and largest recreation complex came about, as Morgan says, “Because we were going to remodel but when we were informed that the cost to build would be the same, we started looking at property. In 2014 we bought 75 acres, then 45 more, for a total of 120 acres. God had a plan for us!” In December 2017, they cut the ribbon for the 120-acre Clarence Morgan Recreation Complex, named in honor of the man who truly personifies the Effingham County Recreation and Parks Department.

 Located off Highway 21, it features quality playing fields, night lighting, concession stands and a lightning detection system. The complex will eventually include 6 more fields, a gym, a dog park, and a small campground (including a dumping station). In July 2018 the Josh Reddick Stadium at Clarence E. Morgan Complex had its grand opening. Astros outfielder Josh Reddick (and Effingham High School grad) funded the new sod and turf field by a gift of about $1 million from his foundation. The field features handicapped-accessible dugouts that are level with the playing field, making it the area's only fully accessible baseball field for children with special needs. The Effingham County Navigators, a team of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their siblings, played the first game on the field.

Did You Know?

The Women’s Volleyball team has been playing for 35 years, with spring & fall seasons, with some of the original team members still playing. In Youth Sports the Girls Volleyball league is just three years old but is already very successful.

There is a Youth Track & Field group for boys and girls ages 7 -14 that features races, long jumps and softball throws.

Youth Lacrosse has both boys and girls teams and Effingham is the only rec park south of Macon that has organized rec park league teams. 

There are six tennis courts at the tennis complex at the R.B. Baker Lake facility and Pickleball is on the drawing board for the future.

On Hold

Morgan says normally games would have started mid-March, but 270 games and three special events have been cancelled from now through April 4. From the Effingham county website:

Effective immediately, all sports and specials events are cancelled indefinitely.  This includes Baseball, Softball, Track, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Bingo, Line Dancing, Easter Egg Hunt, and all other activities. We ask for your patience during this time and encourage you to follow recommended health guidelines to combat COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

Residents should check the website as to when operations will resume. 

Effingham Recreation & Parks

808 Highway 119 S

Springfield, GA 31329

Phone: 912-754-6339

https://www.effinghamcounty.org/

https://effinghamrec.activityreg.com/