BELLE — OutKast Sports founders Joey and Amanda Butler and Jeremy and Tiffany Vandegriffe proudly displayed shovels on Jan. 4 during the OutKast Sports Complex Groundbreaking Ceremony located on County Road 754 in Belle across from the Kingsford Soccer Complex.

Amanda Butler thanked a crowd of about 35 people, including Gasconade County Rep. Bruce Sassmann, R - Bland, District 61, and Maries County Rep. Bennie Cook, R-Houston, District 143 for coming to an event that was once the two couples’ dream and is now a reality.

“This has been a whirlwind and some days the goal seems impossible,” Amanda Butler said later. “There is always a call to make and a task to complete. Since our first son started baseball, 18 years ago, this was something the dads have sat around and talked about, but never felt like it could become a reality. Yet here we are, fortunate enough to get to make this  project happen for all these young athletes.”

Tiffany Vandegriffe said later that the complex was something she and her husband had never thought about when they were kids.

“We never would have thought as a kid something like this would be possible in our small community,” Vandegriffe said. “Growing up, we loved playing sports. When we were young we found a big open area rather it be in the front yard or open field just to play the sport with our neighbors. Now kids have so many more options and we are glad we can be a part of bringing these options to our community.”

When the group first started OutKast Baseball it was because they saw a need and thought they could fill it. OutKast sports started with a dream that was shared between two families.

“Our boys wanted to play competitive ball,” Vandegriffe and Butler wrote in an email. “They needed a team to keep as many Belle boys together as possible.”

Joey Butler suggested, “What if we start our own team?”

From there the idea was born. Joey Butler named the new sports team “OutKast” because he wanted his team to be gritty and stand out. He purchased uniforms and Amanda Butler created the team logo.

“Jeremy Vandegriffe became the head coach and OutKast Baseball was created,” Amanda Butler and Tiffany Vandegriffe shared.

Chris Sellers joined as a coach soon after to lead a very successful younger team, and many more exceptional coaches and teams since.

Each founder has continued to shoulder specific roles. Amanda Butler scored the group’s 501(c)3 status and takes care of administrative tasks to make the organization run efficiently. Tiffany Vandegriffe works with team administrative tasks such as fees, uniforms, registering each team for competitive tournaments.

“We continue to work together with an exceptional team of board members to make sure everything runs smoothly each season,” Amanda Butler and Tiffany Vandegriffe said. “Joey and Jeremy continue to work behind the scenes and share operational ideas, funding, and hours of time to help the growth and success that has led to this point.”

The group started with one team in 2019 and began adding teams each year until they were up to five baseball teams and three softball teams for the 2024 season.

“These teams are not only taught how to stay competitive but also the meaning of teamwork and staying consistent in pursuit of excellence,” founders said.

In 2023, OutKast Sports founders learned of an opportunity to apply for $4 million dollars in allocated funds from the Missouri legislature’s HB20 — the 501(c)3 fit into the requirements perfectly as well as its desired project — a sports complex.

“We learned about the surplus in funds and that a sports facility would fit in the stipulations for the allocations,” the founders said. “There were certain requirements, such as county size, being a nonprofit, and the construction of a sports facility.”

The prerequisites to qualify for the money were listed in HB20. Coming from the state legislature meant the funds were allocated to OutKast Sports 501(c)3 versus granted.

“We shot our shot and it paid off — OutKast was awarded $4 million,” Amanda Butler and Tiffany Vandegriffe said.

HB20 passed on Aug. 28, 2023, and the group closed on 29 acres of land on Dec. 20, located on County Road 754 across from the soccer complex. They hired Jimmy Zumwalt as the general contractor on the project. All funds are to be spent and the project scheduled to be completed by June 2024, according to Zumwalt.

“We continue to work closely with Jimmy Zumwalt (general contractor) as we continue to move forward with the project,” Amanda Butler and Tiffany Vandegriffe said. “He is covering so many bases that we didn’t even know to consider. His brain is going twenty-four/seven on this project and our community can thank him for making this dream become a reality.”

Rep. Cook said he plans to work with the legislature to ensure that if the project isn’t complete by the June deadline that the remaining funds are allocated back to the project.

“We are so happy we have great people in the community that have hit the ground running with this project,” Tiffany Vandegriffe said. “We can’t do it without the people who are behind the scenes of this project as well.”

“We want this to be a community-minded project that will serve the surrounding communities for generations to come,” Amanda Butler said. “While we love baseball, we know that our community is very sports oriented, so we are excited to get to offer so many sports outlets. Our local businesses have been our number one supporters and have always been willing to sponsor an athlete. We hope this facility gives back to them too!”

OutKast Sports Club plans to continue helping community youth grow in competitive sports and evolve over the next few years to keep up with the competitive environment. As it has since 2019, founders plan to continue focusing on growing the organization by involving more local athletes with opportunities to learn and succeed in sports of their choice so one day they will pass on their knowledge to a younger generation.