The Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners are among Major League Baseball teams that are opening youth baseball and softball training centers in their communities to increase participation and develop local talent. Both centers are the result of an MLB partnership with national youth sports training company EL1 Sports, which was solidified in March 2022.
The Bianco School of Baseball, powered by the Pirates, will open in Canonsburg — about 20 miles from PNC Park — and offer “first-class programs and instruction to athletes at all skill levels, enabling them to get better at the game and find a love for the sport,” according to a statement from EL1 released at the time of the facility’s announcement in early June. “The facility also will have a team of professional instructors who will conduct camps, clinics and lessons throughout the region.”
The facility will boast turf, netting, performance enhancement equipment, configurable training stations and next-generation technology such as Diamond Kinetics, HitTrax and Rapsodo, as well as seating and viewing areas for spectators. Players will receive hands-on training from former professional coaches, scouts and players with an extensive background in coaching youth baseball and softball players.
“Supporting and promoting youth baseball and softball athletes and programs has long been at the core of what we do,” Pirates President Travis Williams said. “Together with EL1, we are focusing on supporting grassroots efforts and increasing accessibility to training in order to get more athletes involved in the game and help them to develop their talents. With Bianco School of Baseball as the first ‘Pirates Training Center’, we will be able to accelerate these efforts and immediately bring high-quality instruction and programs to these athletes.”
A similar program is underway in Seattle, too, with five Mariners Training Centers opening across five EL1 baseball and softball facilities in the region — in Puyallup, Redmond, Seattle, Tacoma and Woodinville. According to a statement from EL1, the centers “support team training and offer new camps, clinics, and one-on-one lesson programming to support increased accessibility for area athletes from beginners and beyond. Mariners Training Centers will be available for select open facility times for community youth and leagues. The Centers will also conduct free camps and clinics in communities throughout Washington and the Mariners five-state region.”
“It’s an honor to partner with my former organization to work towards a shared goal of making baseball and softball more accessible to youth, and it means even more to develop the Mariners Training Centers in my hometown,” EL1 co-founder and former Seattle Mariners prospect Aaron Trolia said at the time of the announcement earlier this year. “Together, we’re reinvesting in the local community and partnering on the work already being done by local organizations to break down barriers and create more opportunities, no matter a child’s socioeconomic background.”
“The Mariners are committed to long-term investment in a vision for barrier-free baseball and softball for youth in our community,” added Nova Newcomer, the Mariners director of community relations. “Equitable access to facilities, instruction and advanced training have long been a barrier for low-income youth and youth of color.”
EL1’s partnership with MLB includes a component that will create an ongoing source of funding for grassroots programs such as Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) and event-based connections with underserved communities through PLAY BALL, which strives to introduce the sport to kids who might not otherwise play.
These facilities are opening as team fast-pitch softball participation is increasing in the United States. According to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s “U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report” for 2022, the sport experienced a 15.3% jump between 2020 and 2021, and it was among five sports (flag football, grass volleyball, court volleyball and basketball are the others) that increased core participation over a five-year average for 6- to 17-year-olds.
Additionally, Little League International cited increases in both baseball and softball participation in 2022, with approximately 2 million children in 80 countries, according to ESPN.com. The site also noted that “youth baseball participation in the U.S. was steadily increasing pre-pandemic, according to annual surveys from 2013 to 2018 by the Sports Fitness & Industry Association. The Aspen Institute also reported a 3% increase in participation among 6-to-12-year-olds between 2015 and 2018.”
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