MLB RBI Affiliation Benefits

Thank you for your interest in wanting to affiliate with Major League Baseball's RBI program. The RBI program, administered by MLB's Baseball & Softball Development Department, is designed to provide youth in underserved communities opportunities to play baseball and softball. As an RBI-affiliated program, the benefits to your organization are wide-ranging. Among them, are the following:

• NO Affiliation Fee: There is NO cost/affiliation fee to the RBI National Office for your organization to affiliate with RBI.
• Preferred Pricing Insurance: The RBI program can assist organizations in obtaining preferred pricing insurance for your program through our partnerships. Programs in "good-standing" are able to set up payments with RBI where RBI will pay the insurance premium up-front and the program is responsible for paying it back in full before the end of the year.
• Equipment Donations: Every newly-affiliated league will receive an equipment donation based on the programming your organization will be providing, whether it is structured league play or recreational play. Those providing structured league play will receive equipment in the form of team kits. Each kit includes bats, gloves, helmets, baseballs or softballs, catcher's equipment and a team bag. Those operating recreational programming will receive plastic and foam bats, plastic and foam balls and throw-down bases. The quantity of equipment a program receives is determined by the number of participants in the program. After the equipment donation in year one, we will refresh the equipment every couple of years.
• Cash Grants: Through the RBI National Office, leagues can apply for RBI cash grants, which can be used for capital improvement, equipment and capacity building projects. The application process to be considered to receive a cash grant is that the league must submit a formal letter on letterhead to our National Office officially requesting a grant. The letter must include the amount of cash needed, what the cash will be spent on and a budget for the project. Leagues also have access to MLB's other grant-making organizations, like the Baseball Tomorrow Fund & the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.
• Free New Website: Affiliated RBI programs can get a FREE new website created by our partners, LeagueApps. LeagueApps is an online technology platform that will provide you with a new website, where you will be able to collect online registration, create schedules, post standings, send league communications and more. (Check out the sites for Base Play RBI and Long Ball Durham for examples.)
• Preferred Pricing on Equipment & Uniforms: Through our partners, organizations can receive preferred pricing on equipment and uniforms (Franklin, Pitch In For Baseball, Outdoor Cap, Rawlings etc.).
• Positive Coaching Alliance: RBI programs have access to coaches/parent training seminars through Positive Coaching Alliance. In-person coaches/parent training seminar sessions are available for your organization's parents and coaches (https://positivecoach.org/).
• RBI Institute: A semi-annual, four-day training seminar that instructs RBI league administrators and coaches on various topics, such as league operations, educational programs and manager/coach training focusing on best practices. The RBI National Office will cover the cost of one-way travel for up to two (2) representatives and one hotel room for the organization's representative(s) to attend RBI Institute.
• RBI for RBI Scholarship: The RBI for RBI Scholarship annually provides twelve (12) RBI participants pursing post-secondary education with a $5,000 scholarship that is renewable up to four (4) years. RBI for RBI Scholarship recipients can receive up to $20,000 over four (4) years.
• USA Baseball and USA Softball: Access to baseball/softball skills and technical training (https://usabaseball.education/).

• All organizations who meet the tournament eligibility requirements can compete against other RBI Leagues from the United States and abroad in RBI Sectional and eight Regional Tournaments for the opportunity to advance to the RBI World Series, held each August. The eight Tournament Regions include: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, World, Southwest, East, Central and West.
• RBI Tournament play includes three divisions: Senior Baseball (16-18), Junior Baseball (13-15) and Girls' Softball (14-18).
• For baseball, the RBI program uses the May 1st cut-off date to determine a player's league age for tournament play.

Opportunities for your organization's participants to participate in MLB Youth Events and sponsored play opportunities geared towards providing unique opportunities for underserved youth in both baseball and softball.

• USA Baseball Breakthrough Series (Baseball, Girls Baseball)/USA Softball Breakthrough Series): An instructional showcase style camp where some of the top prospects showcase their skills for scouts and college recruiters, all while receiving industry insight seminars from current players and executives.
• USA Baseball Hank Aaron Invitational (Baseball): An extended two-week version of the Breakthrough Series where one week is geared toward participants ages 13-14 and one week is ages 15-17. This highly intense program mirrors a Major League Baseball Spring Training camp and gives players an opportunity to see what life is like as they prepare for a season. The participants at both the Breakthrough Series and Elite Development Invitational are coached by former Major Leaguers.
• USA Softball Elite Development Invitational: An extended version of the USA Softball Breakthrough Series geared towards softball players ages 13-17. The highly intense program mirrors USA Softball's National Team training camp and provides elite training and instructional opportunities, college and career guidance and life lesson seminars from former Olympians, USA Softball Players and coaches.
• USA Baseball Dream Series (Baseball): A top-level prospect pitchers and catchers camp during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, providing elite-level instruction, industry insight and a platform for talented amateur players to showcase their abilities.
• USA Baseball Trailblazer Series (Girls Baseball): A weekend-long, semi-competitive tournament where roughly 100 girls baseball players can showcase their talent, compete against other girls and receive instruction from current and former players on USA Baseball's Women's National Team.
• PLAY BALL Events: Access to host and participate in MLB-USA Baseball/Softball PLAY BALL events.
• MLB's National Skills Competitions: MLB's Pitch Hit and Run & Jr. Home Run Derby, which give your youth participants the opportunity to compete their way to the All-Star Game every year.

For more information, please visit us online at www.mlb.com/youthprograms, www.MLBcommunity.org and at www.PLAYBALL.org.

We may also be reached via email directly at [email protected].