SEATTLE, Wash. – The Seattle Mariners and EL1 Sports (EL1), a leading national youth sports training company, today announced a multi-year partnership to expand equitable access and participation in youth baseball and softball. As part of the partnership, the organizations have launched the Mariners Training Centers across five EL1 baseball and softball facilities in the Seattle region.

“The Mariners are committed to long-term investment in a vision for barrier-free baseball and softball for youth in our community. 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,” said Nova Newcomer, Seattle Mariners Director of Community Relations.

The Mariners Training Centers are operated by EL1 and located in Puyallup, Redmond, Seattle, Tacoma, and Woodinville, WA. These state-of-the-art facilities will 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, and it means even more to develop the Mariners Training Centers in my hometown,” said EL1 Co-Founder and former Seattle Mariners prospect, 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.

Jameel Cante, EL1 Co-Founder added: “Every child deserves the opportunity to participate in sports. 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. 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."

In March 2022, EL1 was named the “youth baseball and softball training partner” of Major League Baseball, to expand access to high-quality instruction for players of all skill levels and socioeconomic backgrounds. As part of this commitment to expand access, Mariners Training Centers will also serve as the Official Training Partner for Baseball Beyond Borders RBI and the Off Season Training Partner for Hometown Nine Student-Athlete Fellows.

The Mariners Training Centers will host grand opening events across all five locations over the first two weekends in March to kick off the youth baseball and softball season. These events will be free and open to the public. The events will feature throwing stations, hitting stations, and bat and ball games. Every child will also go home with a Mariners Training Center ballplayer kit. Follow the Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) and EL1 Sports (@EL1Sports) on social media for more information and updates on the Mariners Training Center’s upcoming events, programming in a facility, or coming to your neighborhood and league.