It's back to the future for Chiefs baseball.

The B.C. Premier Baseball League club is ditching its Fraser Valley tag in favour of returning to its North Surrey roots and will compete under the Whalley banner beginning this spring.

The Chiefs split with the Whalley Little League organization nine years ago and roamed for several years, calling Unwin Park in Newton and Queen's Park in New Westminster home before moving back to Whalley Ballpark three years ago.

Chiefs' general manager Paul Hargreaves said the current union is part of a bigger plan to retain teenaged baseball talent that has been drifting away to other premier clubs or B.C. Minor Baseball organizations. By realigning with Whalley, the Chiefs will be a key part of a baseball home for players from elementary school right through to college, thanks to a working agreement with the Douglas College baseball program.

"There's a lot of reasons why we were losing kids to other programs, but mostly it was because they couldn't see anywhere to go after junior (13-to 14-year-old little league ball)," Hargreaves said. "So they would quit baseball for soccer or other activities. We're not Whalley Little League but we are affiliated with them and younger kids will be able to see that there is a place for them if they want to keep playing."

Under their agreement with Whalley Little League, Chiefs players will be involved in coaching teams at younger age levels as well as hosting skills clinics and including the little leaguers in the premier team's pregame warm ups.

The reunification is a welcome move for the fabled little league program, which has won over 150 district, provincial and national pennants over its 55 years of existence. Last summer Whalley represented Canada at the Junior Little League World Series in Michigan where the Surrey lads finished tied for third among international teams.

"We're hoping our boys on the little league side will see it as a stream into the premier (high school) league as a level of baseball they will want to strive for," said Whalley vice-president Mark DeShane.

"We set it up so there is a path they can follow through baseball from little league to premier to college, if that's what they choose to do. We haven't had this affiliation in the recent years and we think it's important that kids can see they can follow a path through baseball without leaving Whalley."

DeShane added the extra assistance provided by the Chiefs players is always appreciated by the Whalley youngsters, many of whom look up to the older players.

With the Chiefs calling Whalley home - not just on the schedule but on their uniforms as well - the premier team also hopes to create more of a baseball atmosphere at their home games. With the new alignment in place, young little leaguers will be able to play their games and then walk over to the big diamond at Whalley Athletic Park to watch some of their coaches and instructors compete at the premier and college levels.

. Whalley Little League registration begins Jan. 15. For more info, visit whalleylittleleague.com.

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