Cooperstown draws Little League players from around the country to play baseball at Doubleday Field and the Cooperstown Dreams Park, but getting local youngsters to participate is becoming an increasingly tough proposition.

The Cooperstown Youth Baseball League held its annual registration this month, and just 32 players, enough for just three teams, signed up to play in the majors leagues. League officials were hoping for a 48 players in order to field four teams, but actually drew four less than last year's total of 36.

The number of players in the Cooperstown Little League has steadily decreased in recent years, but is now reaching epidemic proportions. The league had as many as nine teams in the major league division just a decade ago.

"Ever since spring soccer started four or five years ago our numbers have steadily decreased," said Kathryn Busse, a member of the CYB board. "We used to have quite a few girls playing as well, but now most of them play soccer. Soccer used to be the fall sport, but now it's year-round with indoor during the winter and traveling teams in the spring."

"Soccer is easier for the parents, they just drop the kids off and go" said Bruce Brodersen, another member of the CYB board. "It's very hard to have a league with just two or three teams."

Board president Christopher Hage has decided to extend the deadline for registration for the spring season until Feb. 10. Any players wishing to register can call Hage at home at 547-9335.

In November, construction of a new Little League field was completed at the Clark Sports Center partly in the hope of drawing more players into little league.

"The good news is we did have a lot of players sign up for T-ball," Brodersen said. "The trick is to keep them in the program for the duration."

There is also a Little League field on the Linden Ave. extension, and Little League teams can also us the existing softball fields at the Clark Sports Center for practices. The new field features 60-foot baselines, a skinned infield, a backstop and fences.

The Little League will also be able to use the exisiting softball field at the Sports Center for practices and in case of scheduling conflicts, giving them availability to three fields.

When the new field was completed in November, Jane Forbes Clark said it was proper and fitting that Cooperstown residents, in the home of baseball, should have a first class setting on which to play.

"We're disappointed the turnout wasn't better at the major league level," Busse said. "It's hard to believe that kids in Cooperstown don't play baseball."