Grow The Game, Grow The City

The home for the Grow the Game initiative — community, development, and long-term impact.

Grow the Game, Grow the City is a regenerative sustainability and education initiative led by the Royal Oak Leprechauns.

Together with Business of Ball and Royal Oak Dirt Company, we’re turning local food waste into finished soil products that feed community gardens, urban green spaces, and ballfields across Royal Oak.

Local food waste → Compost → Blended soil → Gardens & fields → Youth education & community impact

From Food Waste to Finished Soil

At Memorial Park, home of the Leprechauns, Grow the Game, Grow the City tells a simple, powerful story:

Local food waste is collected and turned into compost.
That compost is blended on-site by Royal Oak Dirt Company with Michigan glacial sand, local loam/topsoil, silt and clay fines.
The result is a line of organic, locally sourced soil products made for Royal Oak gardens, green spaces, and fields.

From this process, Royal Oak Dirt Company is building soil products like:

ROYAL OAK GARDEN SOIL (Signature Blend) – for raised beds, home and school gardens.
ROYAL OAK URBAN FARM MIX – designed for drainage and revitalizing compacted urban soils.
ROYAL OAK COMMUNITY BAG – a free or low-cost line supporting schools, block clubs, and community gardens.

Residents, schools, and partner organizations will be invited to hands-on “community bagging days” to help fill bags, learn the process, and take part in the initiative firsthand.

From Dirt to Diamonds: Sport-Specific Soil

As the garden and community products roll out, Royal Oak Dirt Company is also developing sport-specific blends for baseball and softball:

ROYAL OAK INFIELD MIX – a sand-heavy blend with compost for youth and rec fields.
Future mound clay and mound pack products for pitching mounds and batter’s boxes.
Long-term R&D toward an organic, compost-derived “quick dry” material to replace traditional drying agents.

These products let the Leprechauns blend who they are on the field with who they want to be in the community. The dirt itself tells the story.

Education at the Center

Grow the Game, Grow the City will power a K–12 environmental curriculum created by Royal Oak Dirt Company and presented with support from Business of Ball. Students will learn:

How waste becomes compost and then soil.
Why soil health matters for gardens and fields.
How urban farms and community gardens work.
How baseball and softball fields are built and maintained.
How to build a “Pot of Gold” compost setup at home or at school.

These resources will be available to schools, youth sports programs, nonprofits, and community groups across Royal Oak and Metro Detroit.

Business of Ball: Presenting Partner for Impact

Business of Ball will serve as the presenting media and education partner, producing quarterly Community Impact Reports that track:

Pounds of food waste diverted.
Compost and soil produced.
Gardens, fields, and projects supported.
Students and families engaged.
Partner organizations involved.

It’s a way to connect the economics and culture of baseball with real community outcomes in Royal Oak.

How to Support the Initiative

Supporters can get involved in two main ways:

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation
Contributions will be accepted through the Royal Oak Leprechauns’ official 501(c)(3) donation portal, supporting education, soil production, and community activation.
Become a Business or Community Partner
Royal Oak Dirt Company will offer sponsorships and partnerships for businesses, schools, and organizations that want to fund soil products, curriculum, bagging events, or specific garden and field projects.

Want to help Grow the Game, Grow the City in Royal Oak?

Reach out to explore donations, sponsorships, curriculum partnerships, or custom soil projects for your school, garden, or field.