Little League field, facility 'destroyed' by vandals in Marina del Rey ahead of upcoming season

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (KABC) -- A local Little League team is facing uncertainty for the upcoming season after its field and facilities in Marina del Rey were vandalized.

Volunteers with the Culver Marina Little League are working to fix thousands of dollars worth of damage, such as a gaping hole in the wall between two bathrooms, broken door locks and graffiti scrawled across the property.

The incident was reported to authorities, but it's not clear when exactly it happened. Volunteers believe the break-in happened Friday night, one day after coaches started prepping the field for the upcoming baseball season.

Volunteer Alva Parra said the coaches discovered a homeless encampment in one of the dugouts and cleared it out.

When the coaches returned the following evening, everything had been "destroyed," Parra said.

"It was heartbreaking because this is a safe haven for many children of our community. You know, this is their second home, this is where they come and play activities, this is a community center for many children," Alva Parra said.

Now, parents and volunteers are working to clean up the mess, hoping they can get the facility up and running in time for tryouts in February and the start of the upcoming season in March.

The non-profit organization serves about 250 kids, ages 3-16, and many of them are from low-income families.

Now, instead of raising money to pay for equipment for the kids, they have to raise money for the repairs, which will likely cost several thousand dollars.

A GoFund Me page has been set to offset the cost of the repairs.