London Majors - Roy McKay Clubhouse

Roy McKay Clubhouse

The circa-1937, tongue-and-groove clapboard Majors' clubhouse at Labatt Park, officially renamed "The Roy McKay Clubhouse" on August 1, 1996 (Roy McKay was born on August 1), by longtime Majors' owner-player Arden Eddie, was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1996—an initiative spearheaded by The Friends of Labatt Park -- by amending the park's original (by-law) reasons for designation. The one-storey, cottage-style building is owned by the City of London and is one the few remaining clubhouses of its kind remaining in North America still being used for the purpose for which it was built.

On May 31, 1998, a fundraising ballgame ("The Rumble at the Riverforks") between the members of London city council, the media and the London Majors old-timers was held to help defray the costs of a new cedar-shingle roof on the Roy McKay Clubhouse. The game was organized by Arden Eddie, The Friends of Labatt Park, SCENE magazine and the London Majors.

The late Roy McKay (1933–1995) was a longtime London Majors' pitcher, coach and manager who died on Christmas Day, 1995. At age 12, McKay was also the mascot-batboy for the 1945 London Majors — the Intercounty and Ontario champions (see photo of the 1945 London Majors at the external link below).

Tom (Tim) Burgess also played for the 1945 Majors as a pitcher-outfielder and was signed to a pro contract in 1946 by the St. Louis Cardinals' organization. After years in Major League Baseball as either a player or coach, Burgess was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

The London Majors Baseball Club was owned by player-coach Arden Eddie from 1976 until February 2004, when Eddie and his wife Shelley sold the team to London businessperson/ mortgage consultant Scott Dart.

Eddie, who holds four Intercounty League records—most games played (834); most stolen bases (179); most hits (764) and most bases on balls (668) -- first started playing for the London Majors in 1967 after moving to London from his hometown of Wallaceburg, Ontario, where he has been inducted into the Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame.