SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
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AAU caregivers to assist them in making both their and their children's Little League experience a memorable one," McClintock said. PONY Baseball is another organization that is finding ways to increase its membership and keep kids active and involved. Currently, the 4- to 12-year-old age group is growing, and PONY Baseball officials attribute that to the time the organization spends educating volunteers and parents on the game. "We've spent a great deal of time educating league organizers on how to engage their community at a younger age group," said Abraham Key, president and CEO of PONY Baseball and Softball. PONY Baseball, which has about 400,000 members has also increased opportunities for team play. "In the old days, if you lost your first tournament game, you'd be eliminated from the competition," Key explained. "We're trying to create more opportunities for the teams to play in more tournaments." Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU) Baseball, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has experienced a 24 percent growth from the end of 2010 to 2013. One reason for this is that the organization has offered a place for every player to play, regardless of skill level. "We offer competition at the elite playing level and tournaments for those 6 2014 Baseball/Softball Sourcebook teams that are still developing," said Debra Horn, senior sports manager for AAU Baseball. AAU is also looking to increase benefits for its membership, especially when it comes to education and safety. Last year, AAU implemented annual mandatory background checks for all non-athletes and adult athletes to help ensure the safety of all participants. Recently, AAU implemented a concussion policy with free online concussion training. "AAU has a history of providing outstanding educational tools to benefit our volunteers, coaches, umpires, parents and athletes to help ensure the best possible experience for our young players," Horn said. United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Baseball, an organization with about 1.2 million participants, believes the secret to baseball's success is keeping kids playing. "That's been the basis and the success of our program— giving more kids a better opportunity to play more baseball," said Tom O'Hara, director of marketing and business development for USSSA. One way USSSA is fulfilling that goal is ensuring that the teams are balanced when it comes to ability and age. "The individual age groups we provide offer a more balanced level of competition across the board. When teams AAU has a history of providing outstanding educational tools to benefit our volunteers, coaches, umpires, parents and athletes to help ensure the best possible experience for our young players. —Debra Horn, AAU Baseball are playing similar teams in terms of ability, the game becomes more fun and the kids want to play more," O'Hara said. USSSA officials plan to introduce more playing opportunities and programs in 2014, including creating all-American teams at younger age groups. "We'll be rolling out some exciting programs for baseball for all ages," O'Hara said. No matter how each organization succeeds in getting more players on the field, they all know that the top benefit of the sport is what the kids will use off the field. "The qualities they learn beyond the actual game are immeasurable," Key said. "They are learning to be part of a team and teamwork, self-discipline, how to get along with others, and how to win and lose gracefully. They're learning how to listen to a coach. Those attributes all come into play later into life when the coach becomes a boss and teammates are coworkers. The attributes we promote help young people grow into better adults." ■ www.sportseventsmagazine.com