Seattle Mariners Partner With EL1 Sports to Launch Training Centers
Five locations to be opened up around the Seattle region
Posted On: February 2, 2023 By :The Seattle Mariners and youth sports training company EL1 Sports have announced a multi-year partnership to expand access and participation in youth baseball and softball with five Mariners Training Centers across EL1 baseball and softball facilities in the Seattle region.
The Mariners Training Centers are operated by EL1 and located in Puyallup, Redmond, Seattle, Tacoma and Woodinville. The facilities will support team training and offer camps, clinics and one-on-one programming to support 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 five-state region.
“The Mariners are committed to long-term investment in a vision for barrier-free baseball and softball for youth in our community,” said Nova Newcomer, Seattle 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. The launch of Mariners Training Centers provides us with a facility and partner who can accelerate our work to bring baseball and softball to more children and families in the Northwest.”
In March 2022, EL1 was named the “youth baseball and softball training partner” of Major League Baseball to expand access to instruction for players of all skill levels and socioeconomic backgrounds. As part of the commitment, Mariners Training Centers will also serve as the official training partner for Baseball Beyond Borders RBI and the offseason training partner for Hometown Nine Student-Athlete Fellows.
“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,” said EL1 Co-Founder Aaron Trolia. “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.”
EL1 currently operates 15 training facilities across the country, including three Los Angeles Dodgers Training Academies.
“Growing up, I lacked a sense of belonging in the baseball world because I didn’t see a lot of representation of people like me on the field,” EL1 Co-Founder Jameel Cante said. “Through our work together, the Mariners and EL1 are committing to walk alongside communities in the PNW to reverse the trend of exclusivity in the game.”
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