SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/595620
www.sportseventsmagazine.com 2016 Baseball/Softball Sourcebook 7 help parents, players and coaches avoid overuse injuries. "While baseball is one of the safest sports, there are some inherent risks in that over time players can be prone to arm injuries if they don't take care of their arm like they should," Riccobono e xplained. "That's exactly why we started the Pitch Smart initiative. And we've been working with national organizations to educate everyone in the game. This is a priority for us, and it will be for quite some time." PONY BASEBALL USA Baseball isn't alone when it comes to implementing initiatives to increase the number of participants in America's favorite pastime. PONY Baseball is working to grow participation as well, especially in younger age groups. "Specifically, we are looking at age 10 and under and what we can do to give more kids an opportunity to participate," said PONY Baseball President and CEO Abe Key. "We are focusing on younger age groups and growing the grassroots numbers in hopes that they will have a meaningful experience at a young age and continue to play as they get older." To reach more kids, PONY Baseball has been working with local community organizations to get the word out about opportunities to play baseball—especially to parents. "Oftentimes, young kids don't know what to sign up for, so we are mak- ing sure parents know about the opportuni- ties for their kids to play baseball," Key said. "We are also promoting the fact that the risk of injury in baseball is low and that, in fact, it's one of the safest sports youth can play. We are also making sure parents know that in PONY Baseball their kids will be well coached, teams will be well organized and their kids will be taught the sport in a fun environment." LITTLE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL In addition to participating in Play Ball and Pitch Smart, Little League International has developed its own pro- gram, Little League University, to attract and retain players. Launching this fall, Little League University is starting as an online portal that will offer training, tips and advice for anyone involved in the sport. "The platform will provide valuable resources and tools in an interactive environment to enhance the Little League experience for all who participate," s aid Brian McClintock, Little League International's senior director of communi- cations. "Users can also customize, share and interact with important resources developed specifically for them." Little League has also started an initia- tive called Grow the Game, which is a $4 million plan to help local Little League programs grow the game in their commu- nities by providing financial assistance to the programs to ensure all the children have a meaningful Little League experi- ence. "All of the funds will be spent on programs for kids, including grants to repair fields, support for urban programs to attract minorities to baseball and softball, and educational programs to train volun- teers, including coaches and umpires," McClintock said. "In addition, to make Little League even more affordable for those who participate, the charter fee paid by all 6,500 leagues throughout the United States will be reduced from $16 to $10 per team. This continues the organization's commitment to make Little League accessible and affordable for all children." AMERICAN AMATEUR BASEBALL CONGRESS To make it easier for players to partici- pate in its league, this year the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) began hosting regional World Series events instead of one national event. "The cost of travel makes it difficult for many teams to participate," said AABC President Richard Neely. "We feel we have to do what we can to keep our kids playing ball and giving them opportunities." AMATEUR ATHLETIC UNION In addition to introducing the new Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Baseball International World Championships, AAU has implemented a new incentive ‰ baseball: USA Baseball: 13.5 million participants PONY Baseball: 225,000+ participants Amateur Athletic Union: 50,000 participants National Amateur Baseball Federation: 100,000 participants American Amateur Baseball Congress: 50,000+ participants * Numbers are approximate. By The Numbers Little League Baseball Softball