Cardinals Encourage Kids To Play Ball
CARDINALS ENCOURAGE KIDS TO PLAY BALL
Over 1,000 Area Youth to Take Part in Community Baseball and Softball Activities
ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 14, 2024 – The St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinals Care, the team’s charitable foundation, are excited to join Major League Baseball in celebrating PLAY BALL Weekend June 14-16, 2024. The team will host a number of activities to encourage children to engage with the games of baseball and softball as part of MLB’s PLAY BALL initiative.
The Cardinals PLAY BALL Celebration, presented by Nike, will kick off on Saturday, June 15, at 9:00 a.m. at Busch Stadium. Kids ages 3-7 will take part in baseball and softball themed activities in Ford Plaza. Kids ages 8-13 will take part in an on-field clinic taught by Cards Alumni and USA Softball Players. Spanish Broadcaster, Bengie Molina, Cards Alumni, and USA Softball representatives and former Louisiana State University players, Aliyah Andrews and Taylor Pleasants, will be on hand to provide instruction to kids participating in the clinic. All kids will receive two free tickets to an upcoming Cards game, a Cardinals Nike T-Shirt, a PLAY BALL bat and ball set and more. Registration for this event is full.
The Cardinals Nike RBI PLAY BALL Invitational Baseball and Softball Tournament will take place on June 15-16 at Stars Park Field on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University. Baseball and softball teams from the Cardinals Nike RBI program will compete in the “round-robin” style tournament all weekend long. The Cardinals Nike RBI League is a free baseball and softball program for teens aged 14-18, supported by Cards Care. The league operates with the mission to increase participation and diversity in the game of baseball and softball with a focus on underserved and under-represented communities in the St. Louis Metro and surrounding areas. Fans can find more information about the Cardinals Nike RBI Program at cardinals.com/RBI.
Cards Care will also host Redbird Rookies Alumni and USA Softball Clinics, presented by QuikTrip, at Stars Park Field on Sunday, June 16. Redbird Rookies is a free co-ed baseball/softball league for kids aged 5-13 who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. Molina and Alumni will instruct the baseball clinic from 9-11 a.m., and USA Softball Representatives, Andrews and Pleasants, will take over instruction for the softball clinic from 2-4 p.m. Participants in both clinics will receive a selection of healthy food from the St. Louis Foodbank, through a partnership with QuikTrip. Fans can learn more about the Redbird Rookies Program at redbirdrookies.org.
About Cardinals Care
Cards Care was established to give fans a way to team up with players and the organization to help children in our community—both on and off the baseball field. Established in 1997, Cards Care has invested over $31 million to support St. Louis area children, built or renovated 24 youth ball fields in local under-resourced neighborhoods, and distributed over $17 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. Since 2004, Cardinals Care has orchestrated the innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free co-ed baseball/softball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play.
In addition to providing all the uniforms and equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 2,500 kids who participate in the program each year. In 2023, Cardinals Care launched the Cardinals Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in cooperation with Major League Baseball to provide greater baseball and softball opportunities for youth ages 14-18 in our community. To learn more about all of Cardinals Care’s programs visit cardinals.com/community and follow @CardinalsCare on X, Facebook and Instagram.
What is PLAY BALL?
The PLAY BALL initiative is baseball’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to engage in baseball or softball related activities, including formal leagues, special events and casual forms of play. PLAY BALL events have become MLB’s signature youth engagement activity during the professional and amateur baseball and softball calendar, especially on key dates throughout MLB’s Championship Season and through the Postseason & World Series. PLAYBALL events demonstrate the positive way the game can serve as an outlet for physical activity, fun with friends and learning how to play the sport at its most basic levels. To learn more about PLAY BALL visit mlb.com/playball.
— STL —
