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Major League Baseball, Positive Coaching Alliance Partnership to Impact Underserved Youth

06.20.2016

The broad rollout of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) training for coaches and administrators in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program will positively impact youth in many U.S. cities this summer.

PCA has started delivering its Double-Goal Coach® workshops to groups of RBI coaches, explaining how to pursue both success on the field and the more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons. PCA also is providing its workshop titled Leading Your Organization: Developing a Positive Coaching Culture to RBI local administrators.

The training prompts responses like this one from an RBI administrator in Durham, NC: "The speaker asked what legacy did we want to leave behind. It really made me feel good, because I know that I am making a difference for a lot of inner city youths that otherwise might not get a chance to play baseball."

PCA training is helping me be a better leader as I leave the training feeling more confident and ready to continue to make a difference in young people's lives.


The partnership between PCA, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) will set out to train and certify every RBI coach as a Double-Goal Coach over the next three years. Complementing the workshops are copies of The Power of Double-Goal Coaching by PCA Founder Jim Thompson, online courses, PCA’s weekly e-mail series titled Talking Points (for coaches to use with players) and access to the 1,500+ free printable and audio-video tips and tools at www.PCADevZone.org.

“Expanding the availability of our great game, particularly to youth from underserved areas, remains a central focus for Major League Baseball and our Clubs,” said Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. “In order to advance the growth of the game, it is important that we continue supporting programs that provide opportunities and quality experiences for young people, that ensure youth coaches and league administrators are properly trained, and that have individuals who played the sport at its highest level serve as role models.”

The partnership also includes PCA workshops for other Youth Baseball entities including USA Baseball and the National Youth Baseball Championship, among others yet to be announced.

MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark stated: “As today’s announcement illustrates, Players, past and present, remain dedicated and committed to sharing the game they love with others, especially minority youth and youth from communities with limited access to baseball fields and proper instruction. With that in mind, it gives us all great satisfaction that by working together – Players, the MLBPA and MLB – we can affect positive change in these communities by supporting efforts that improve access to baseball at the grassroots level. These contributions and partnerships are just the beginning, as we are dedicated to creating a constant ripple that turns into a tidal wave of support for those who want to join with us in growing interest in the great game of baseball.”

In addition to their work with PCA, MLB and MLBPA announced the appointment of Hall of Fame electee Ken Griffey Jr. as a youth ambassador, as well as financial contributions to youth baseball projects supported by New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, a PCA National Advisory Board Member, and former All-Stars Marquis Grissom and John Franco;

“The RBI program is an extraordinarily important initiative to the health of our national pastime and to the health of our nation’s inner cities, so we at PCA are proud to support that effort in any way possible,” said Jason Sacks, PCA’s National Director of Business Development. “Training coaches and administrators to provide a positive, character-building experience will make a major impact for baseball and the youth we reach through RBI.”