Blue Jays acknowledged for Amateur Baseball Efforts

Last week, at separate awards ceremonies in Toronto, Ontario and Richmond, British Columbia, the Blue Jays Baseball Academy, the amateur baseball marketing arm of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club, was acknowledged for its continuing support of amateur baseball across Canada.

In Toronto, the Blue Jays received a Corporate Sport Citation Award at the Ontario Sport Awards held at Ontario Place. The citation was for the team’s support and sponsorship of the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Associations’ (OFSAA) high school baseball championships held at Rogers Centre in June 2011. The winner of these championships is awarded the Prentice Cup, named after Bob Prentice, the former Blue Jays Director of Canadian Scouting.

In Richmond, BC, the Blue Jays were nominated for a Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA) Award for Sport Event Sponsor of the Year. The award nomination stemmed from the club’s sponsorship of the 2011 World Baseball Challenge tournament in Prince George, BC.  While the club did not end up as the winner in the category, the nomination is acknowledgment that the profile of amateur baseball in this country continues to grow through major tournaments such as the World Baseball Challenge. The World Baseball Challenge tournament was also nominated in the categories of CSTA International Sport Event of the Year and the CSTA Community Service Award to recognize the dedication of tournament organizer Jim Swanson.

“While it is an honour for the contributions of the club to be recognized, we believe that the true acknowledgment needs to go to the tournament organizers, volunteers, players, coaches and parents who make tournaments such as the OFSAA championships and the World Baseball Challenge tournaments possible. We congratulate the leadership groups of each of these events for their promotion and support for the growth of baseball in Canada.”

        – Stephen Brooks, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Toronto Blue Jays