THE BASEBALL TOMORROW FUND, METS, SNY AND CITI
TO HOST A FIELD MAINTENANCE CLINIC AT CITI FIELD
BTF to Award Two $5,000 Grants to Local Organizations,
Expanding SNY’s “Play Ball” Initiative
FLUSHING, N.Y., August 9, 2012 – The New York Mets today announced the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF), Mets, SNY and Citi will host a field maintenance clinic at Citi Field this Saturday, August 11 for Tri-State area youth baseball and softball organizations. The clinic is a part of the BTF/MLB Field Maintenance Education Program.
The two-hour clinic, beginning at 10:00 a.m., will be led by Mets Director of Field Operations & Landscaping, Bill Deacon, and will feature discussion on infield maintenance, mound and home plate management, game day preparation and turf management. Grant recipients from SNY’s “Play Ball, presented by Citi” initiative and BTF grant recipients will attend.
For the second consecutive year, SNY has supported area youth baseball and softball leagues through the “Play Ball” initiative designed to assist Tri-State area youth baseball and softball players, ages 6-12, by providing grant funds for equipment, uniforms, field maintenance, renovations and operating expenses to four organizations during the New York Mets regular season.
In conjunction with the clinic, BTF and SNY selected two additional organizations to receive
BTF grants in the amount of $5,000 for the purchase of field maintenance supplies and equipment: Dyker Heights Athletic Association and Elmjack Community Little League.
“The Baseball Tomorrow Fund is excited to team up with the New York Mets, SNY and Citi for this excellent opportunity to share field maintenance techniques with local youth organizations,” said Cathy Bradley, Executive Director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. “We hope that this clinic, along with the grants awarded, will support the sustainability of safe and playable youth baseball and softball facilities in the area.”
“The opportunity to expand the SNY Play Ball program and host a field maintenance clinic is an exciting proposition for all of us,” said Steve Raab, President of SNY. “It’s an honor to partner with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, Citi and the New York Mets on this community initiative and we’re grateful for the support they provided to help make SNY Play Ball even bigger in 2012.”
About the Baseball Tomorrow Fund
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses. Since its formation by MLB and the MLBPA in 1999, BTF has awarded over 600 grants totaling more than $22 million to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. Approximately 300,000 youth players have benefited from programs and facilities supported by the fund. BTF also facilitates league-wide initiatives including the collection and distribution of new and gently used equipment to organizations in need as well as field maintenance education clinics. For more information, visitbaseballtomorrowfund.com and follow BTF on Facebook, Twitter and MLBlogs.
