‘PLAY BALL PARK’ IN SAN DIEGO HEADLINES YOUTH ACTIVITY DURING 2016 ALL-STAR WEEK
Major League Baseball today announced the inaugural “PLAY BALL Park” to headline youth activity during 2016 MLB All-Star Week in San Diego.
Located in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, PLAY BALL Park will be an 80,000-square-foot outdoor space for various programming partners to provide fun, engaging and educational activities for youth baseball and softball players and their families – all in the backdrop of the Midsummer Classic. PLAY BALL Park, which is generously supported by Chevrolet and Scotts, will be open Thursday, July 7th through to Tuesday, July 12th. Admission to PLAY BALL Park will be free of charge for all participants.
PLAY BALL Park programming partners will include USA Baseball, USA Softball, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, the Positive Coaching Alliance, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other PLAY BALL initiative supporters.
Tentative programming includes USA Baseball’s “Fun at Bat,” “Backyard Baseball,” and practice planning activations; softball instruction and skills training from USA Softball; Quick Baseball games administered by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, coaches and parents culture training by Positive Coaching Alliance, and other programming will be announced.
There will be additional PLAY BALL Park opportunities for youth during All-Star week with “Free Play” times daily. In conjunction with the San Diego Padres, Major League Baseball has reached out to San Diego area youth baseball and softball organizations for kids to be participants in PLAY BALL Park events.
Four specific PLAY BALL-affiliated events will take place throughout San Diego during All-Star Week, including the All-Star WIFFLE Ball Series, the National Finals of the T-Mobile Jr. Home Run Derby and Scotts MLB Pitch, Hit & Run competitions and the All-Star Youth Classic.
COMMUNITY LEGACY EFFORT
MLB and the Padres plan to donate nearly $5 million, through MLB Charities and the Padres Foundation, a significant portion of which will help renovate and build four youth baseball and softball fields in the San Deigo region. These include: a playing surface at the Club de Niños y Niñas de Mexico in Tijuana, Baja California – the first cross-border, international project in Midsummer Classic history; a multi-purpose baseball diamond at the Conrad Prebys Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego in Escondido, CA; the first softball-specific field project at the San Pasqual Academy in Escondido; and the development of the youth baseball and softball fields and outdoor recreational area in conjunction with the complete rebuild of the Jackie Robinson YMCA complex.
BASEBALL TOMORROW FUND
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) recently announced its 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game “BTF Kids Take the Field,” featuring nine youth players from the Mission School in Escondido. The participants will take each position and be greeted by the Team USA starters. Participants represent STAR/PAL, a past BTF grant recipient. STAR/PAL youth programs are free-of-charge and feature law enforcement officers serving as positive role models. Programs include athletics, mentoring, leadership development, violence prevention and excursions. STAR/PAL has received BTF grants totaling more than $20,000 for baseball and softball equipment and uniforms. Baseball Tomorrow Fund also contributed $180,000 for the installation of Musco Lighting, Inc. equipment at the newly renovated baseball field at Jackie Robinson YMCA.
PLAY BALL
PLAY BALL is a joint initiative between MLB, USA Baseball and USA Softball. In addition to encouraging participation in both formal and casual baseball and softball activities, PLAY BALL aims to give kids the opportunity to enjoy the game in a fun environment by highlighting the many ways baseball and softball can be played and providing memorable experiences; introduce young people to the sport who otherwise may not have the chance to experience it; and offer a healthy and active lifestyle option where many of those opportunities are being offered less frequently.