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Little League Baseball and Softball along with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America are teaming up in a partnership.
Launched Sunday at the Little League complex, the partnership is meant to get more youths to play baseball and softball and provide more access to kids who want to play the sports, but who might not be able to have such access.
From the moment they sat down and talked 16 months ago it was conversations with the same goals and the same values in mind, Little League and Club officials said at a news conference announcing Little League International and Boys & Girls Clubs of America first-of-its-kind endeavor together.
It is one designed "to create more opportunities for young people to play, learn, and grow through the power of sports and mentorship."
Centered on the shared belief that "every child deserves the opportunity to belong, build confidence, and reach their full potential," officials said.
This partnership will connect local Little League programs and Boys & Girls Clubs of America across the nation to introduce more children to baseball and softball, while providing additional after-school experiences that foster confidence, teamwork, leadership, and resilience.
Missions and values align as organizations
"We are about child development, and we are always, as organizations, putting children first," said Patrick Wilson, Little League President and CEO.
Wilson took a second to share a personal perspective about his youth in the City of Williamsport.
"While there's not a Boys & Girls Club of America here in Williamsport . . . I am just a kid from Campbell Street here in Williamsport," he said. "A community center was the lifeblood of my early childhood," he said, adding, "that's where I learned and that is where I grew, and I wouldn't be here today as the chief executive officer for Little League without those early experiences, the adults that were at that community center that took care of me when my parents had to work," he said.
"So, while there wasn't a Boys & Girls Club, Lorraine, the mission and the values were the same and it's still the trusted values that the Boys & Girls Clubs provide – so thank you," he said turning to Lorraine Orr, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America executive vice president and chief operations officer with Tony Reagins, Major League Baseball chief baseball development officer by her side at the conference.
Every child deserves these opportunities
"At Little League, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to have an inclusive, community-based experience where they can learn life lessons that come from being part of a team," Wilson said.
"This partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America brings together two industry-leading organizations that are trusted by parents and share a commitment to helping young people grow through positive experiences, caring mentors, and strong communities," Wilson remarked.
"We're grateful to Jim Clark, Orr, Frank Sanchez, and the entire Boys & Girls Clubs of America team, as well as Reagins and our partners at Major League Baseball, for helping bring this vision to life," Wilson said.
Access expansion
"The value of this partnership from Little League's perspective is we are going to have the opportunity to bring baseball and softball to maybe some kids that don't have access to the sport," Wilson said.
"That's critical because that is one of the things that as I took over as president and CEO our team at Little League is really focused on – improving access," he said.
From the league's perspective, it will benefit from all of the child development services that the Boys & Girls Clubs provide, he added.
"We are going to offer it to our local leagues, the families that play in our program," Wilson remarked.
As the fall commences, the league will deploy a number of "pilots" across the country, test different operating systems and the goal will be . . . to deploy the Little League program in the Boys & Girls Club services really across the country, and reach kids who may not have had the opportunity to participate," Wilson said.
Starting with 25 pilot programs during the 2027 season, the partnership will focus on creating pathways for Club members to experience baseball and softball through local Little League programs, while equipping communities with resources that encourage participation, volunteer engagement, and positive youth development
Technology will assist
"Little League has the ability to overlay through technology where all the leagues are and the Boys and Girls Clubs shared where all their clubs were, so we were able to overlay and match and that's how we were able to push this partnership out," Wilson said to a question of how the task will begin to be accomplished. "So, we know where a Little League is within five miles of a Boys and Girls Club and vice versa," he said.
"That's the opportunity . . . when we roll up our sleeves we are going to be able to overlay both maps and connect through technology, through emails," he said.
Centuries of service to the nation
"As I am thinking about coming together, we have more than 400 years of service to this nation," Orr said.
"We are what I would call legacy institutions in the United States of America," she added.
"With this first-of-its-kind partnership between Little League International and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with support from Major League Baseball – millions of young people will benefit from those centuries of investment in young people and, of course, in sports," Orr said.
Today, there are over 600,000 young people that participate in sports, she added. "This partnership is going to help us reach our goal of one million young people participating in sports across this nation," she said.
"As two long-trusted youth service organizations families and communities already turn to the league and clubs for safe spaces, mentorship, and high-quality youth experiences for our young people and our teams," Orr said.
"Little League and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have been sharing best practices in sports and youth development to benefit young people for a very, very long time," Orr said.
"Both of us offer spaces to build confidence, camaraderie and resilience," she added.
"We understand that sports is more than competition and building athletes," she said.
"Sports builds futures and meaningful relationships with peers and, of course, trusted adults," she said.
Formalizing this partnership is expected to enable Little League and Clubs to do more together for the kids and teams than either could do on their own.
"Together, we're not only expanding access to baseball and softball, but more importantly creating additional opportunities for young people to play, belong, and lead, and investing in stronger communities for generations to come."
"Baseball has always been an important game in my life, from watching my father play every weekend, to playing myself as the only girl on the team, to watching my own children play," Orr said.
"My own career with Boys & Girls Clubs started with a role as an athletic director, where I saw the myriad of benefits young people gain from participating in sports," Orr said.
"Through this new partnership with our fellow legacy organization Little League and support from Major League Baseball, Boys & Girls Clubs can expand access to baseball and softball and help more young people in more communities experience the benefits of high-quality athletic programs in safe spaces," she said.
"In my own life and through America's history and for this nation's future, baseball has been a powerful anchor in the culture and in our communities, so as we launch this partnership with all of you there are three things I want you to know: Kids need Boys & Girls Clubs; America needs Club kids. All of us need baseball."
"Every young person deserves the chance to discover what they're capable of, and sometimes that discovery starts on a ballfield," said Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
"Sports give young people more than the chance to play. They build confidence, foster connection, and help kids develop skills that stay with them for life," he said.
Research shows that young people who participate in sports report higher self-esteem and life satisfaction, while also building the cardiovascular fitness, strength, and coordination that supports lifelong health.
"That's why this partnership between Little League and Boys & Girls Clubs of America is about more than baseball and softball," Clark said.
"By bringing together local leagues and Clubs, both deeply rooted in communities across the country, we can connect more young people with a team, a coach, a mentor and a place to belong."
By combining Little League's global network of community-based baseball and softball programs with Boys & Girls Clubs of America's nationwide movement of Clubs serving millions of young people, the organizations will work together to expand access to affordable, high-quality youth sports experiences, strengthen local communities, and inspire the next generation of leaders.
"We are excited to work alongside both organizations and look forward to an exciting year, " Reagins said on behalf of Major League Baseball, adding a major goal is to get more young people to play both baseball and softball.
Together, with a shared investment to help enhance these opportunities, the organizations will collaborate on initiatives that include:
• Expanding access to baseball and softball in communities with limited opportunities for organized youth sports.
• Connecting local Boys & Girls Clubs with nearby Little League programs to create sustainable community partnerships.
• Providing resources, training, equipment, and programming that aims to support safe, inclusive, and positive youth
experiences.
• Promoting leadership, teamwork, resilience, and confidence through sports and mentorship.
• Encouraging family engagement and volunteerism to strengthen local communities.
In addition to the efforts as part of this partnership, both organizations are also contributing members of the Aspen Institute's Project Play 63X30 Roundtable, contributing to a national effort to increase youth sports participation to 63% by 2030.
To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America's sports programming and opportunities to get involved, visit BGCA.org.
To learn more about the Little League Baseball and Softball program, and to find a local league in your community, visit LittleLeague.org.