YouthMajors.com

NEW YORK -- The National Youth Baseball Championships, which crowned national champions in the 10-under and 12-under divisions in its inaugural season in 2008, has named New Era Cap Co., Inc., the Buffalo-based headwear designer and manufacturer, as the tournament’s title sponsor.

The “New Era National Youth Baseball Championships” is the initial effort of the “Major Youth Baseball Alliance, LLC. (MYBA)” The MYBA is comprised of eight major youth organizations, consisting of more than eight-million participants. It includes AABC (American Amateur Baseball Congress); AAU (Amateur Athletic Union of the United States); Babe Ruth Baseball; Dixie Youth Baseball; NABF (National Amateur Baseball Federation); PONY Baseball; Super Series Baseball of America; and USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association).

In a multi-year agreement, the four-day tournament will be branded the “New Era National Youth Baseball Championships.” New Era will be the lead sponsor of the event and will be prominently featured on national telecasts (on a network to be announced at a later date) and webcasts (via mlb.com). In addition, New Era will be highlighted on the websites of the eight participating youth organizations and will be an integral part of a grass-roots promotional bus tour—The Baseball Youth Road Trip Fanfest—that will visit 200 youth baseball tournaments this summer.

“This is a great day for youth baseball and for the National Youth Baseball Championships tournament,” said Eddie Einhorn, Interim President of the Major Youth Baseball Alliance and Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox. “To have the support of a company that is synonymous with our national game and with a significant commitment to Youth Baseball insures that more than eight-million young participants from 500,000 teams can aspire to a national championship for years to come.”

Said Gerry Matos, New Era’s Senior Vice President of Marketing: “New Era is excited to team up with the National Youth Baseball Championships. As a company, we are dedicated to finding partnerships that influence our youth and this program is a first-class event that reaches thousands of student-athletes on a national level.”

Played at the Gameday Youth Baseball Complex in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2008, the 2009 tournament is scheduled for August 27 through August 30. Several sites, including Memphis, are being considered for 2009 with a final decision to be made shortly. In 2008, Tomateros de California of USSSA won the 10-under national championship while AAU’s Orlando Juice 12’s won the 10-under title.