Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy

The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation has committed to a partnership with the District of Columbia to build the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy to teach the fundamentals of baseball and provide after-school educational programs for children in the DC region. Foundation and government officials are working diligently to secure adequate land in the District for the Academy. "We believe our shared vision and commitment to the youth in our communities will enable us to create a world-class facility that will inspire and educate our area children, while fostering the love of baseball across our region," commented Alphonso Maldon, Jr., President, Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Washington Nationals.

"It is truly exciting to know that we have a wonderful opportunity to elevate youth baseball in the District of Columbia by establishing the Youth Baseball Academy," said District of Columbia City Council Chair Vincent Gray. "Not only will the Academy expose children and youth to the sport itself but there are so many ancillary opportunities as well; such as instruction in sports journalism, broadcasting, umpiring, groundskeeping, scorekeeping, sports medicine, weight training, and life skills--all stimulated through the Baseball Academy."

The academy will be modeled after the established and extremely successful Harlem RBI community based youth development program located in East Harlem, New York. RBI's (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) mission is to use baseball and softball and the power of teams to provide inner-city youth with opportunities to play, learn, and grow; inspiring them to recognize their potential and realize their dreams. As with RBI, the main objective of the programs offered by the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy is to help transform inner-city and underserved youth from vulnerable children into resilient young adults. It will offer baseball and softball leagues and training skills (the core of the program), education and vocational classroom programs integrated with sports programs, life skills training, and mentoring and counseling programs. Baseball serves as the hook to encourage academic and personal growth.