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PCA Plays Part in 2019 MLB All-Star Game Festivities

07.15.2019


CLEVELAND -
The 2019 Major League All-Star Game and the festivities around it will not soon be forgotten by the thousands of baseball fans that moved the turnstiles in Cleveland from July 5-9. Millions tuned into their televisions to watch the All-Star Game or the record breaking Homerun Derby, but the most impressive part of the entire week was Play Ball Park, the annual fan festival that provides fans of all ages the opportunity to enjoy a highly interactive experience.

Nearly 150,000 baseball fans passed through the gates of Play Ball Park and it was impossible not to notice the love for the sports of baseball and softball growing. PCA-Cleveland had a front row seat as an active part of the on-field activities with the kids at Play Ball Park and engaging in conversation with parents and coaches throughout the weekend.


“Seeing the sheer enjoyment on the faces of the young athletes that had the opportunity to play on the field, as well as their parents who got to watch them, was absolutely incredible.” said Ryan Virtue, PCA-Cleveland’s Partnership Manager. “At PCA we talk all the time about the importance of allowing athletes to have fun and grow their love for the game. That mission was definitely accomplished and our emotional tanks couldn’t be more full!”


PCA-Cleveland’s participation was in collaboration with Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians, USA Baseball and USA Softball. The event saw legends such as 3-time MLB All-Star, Carlos Baerga, and Olympic Gold Medalists Jennie Finch and Natasha Watley interact with the young athletes. Almost every MLB mascot also swung by to join in on the fun.


PCA-Cleveland is looking forward to several other marquee events that will be coming to Cleveland in the next few years including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the NFL Draft, the NBA All-Star Game, and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four.

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About Positive Coaching Alliance- Cleveland

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national non-profit organization with the mission of creating a positive, character-building youth sports environment that results in BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE.

Youth sports currently involves 40M children, which presents a tremendous platform on which to develop youth character and life skills. Research has shown that in order for youth to accrue these benefits from sports, sports needs to be done in a way that creates a positive youth development culture. PCA ensures sports are ‘done right’ with programming that is research-based and designed to have an impact at three levels in a youth sports organization or school:

  • Youth experience improved life skills and character development. They also perform better!
  • Coaches become more positive and increase their focus on using sports to teach life lessons.
  • Youth Sports Organizations & Schools see their cultures become more positive and everyone involved has more fun.


Since its founding in 1998, PCA has established 18 chapters nationwide, partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, reaching 19.2 million youth. PCA-Cleveland was started by National Advisory Board Member and former Cleveland Indians General Manager, now President of the of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Shapiro, in 2011. PCA offers interactive online courses and has thousands of multimedia tips and tools for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders available free of charge on PCADevZone.org. PCA also runs two annual awards programs: a scholarship program for high school student-athletes and a coach award program to recognize youth and high school coaches who strive to win and teach life lessons.

PCA gains support from a National Advisory Board of elite coaches, professional and Olympic athletes, organization leaders, and academics who share PCA’s mission including Dusty Baker, Carol Dweck, Herm Edwards, Julie Foudy, Phil Jackson, and Steve Kerr. PCA is proud to partner with more than 50 national governing bodies, youth serving organizations and professional leagues and teams including Boys & Girls Club of America, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and US Lacrosse.

To learn more about Positive Coaching Alliance, click here or contact:

RYAN VIRTUE
Partnership Manager
Positive Coaching Alliance-Cleveland
Ph: 440-465-6552
Schedule a call/meeting: https://calendly.com/pca-cleveland
cleveland.positivecoach.org
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