Little League International and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have launched a pioneering partnership to expand access to sport, mentorship, and community support, with pilot programmes set to begin in 2027 aimed at strengthening youth development across the United States.
Little League International and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have struck a new partnership aimed at widening access to sport, mentorship and after-school support for children across the United States. The organisations said the deal is built around a shared belief that young people need opportunities to belong, gain confidence and develop through community-based programmes.
The collaboration will link local Little League leagues with Boys & Girls Clubs in an effort to bring more children into baseball and softball while also strengthening broader youth development work. According to the announcement, the partnership will begin with 25 pilot programmes during the 2027 season and will focus on creating routes for Club members to take part in local Little League activity, while giving communities resources to support volunteering, inclusion and positive participation.
Patrick Wilson, Little League’s president and chief executive, said the agreement brings together two groups trusted by parents and committed to helping children grow through positive experiences and caring mentors. Jim Clark, the president and chief executive of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said sport can be a starting point for confidence and connection, and argued that the new effort is about more than baseball and softball because it aims to connect children with coaches, mentors and a place to belong.
The partnership also comes as Boys & Girls Clubs deepens its work with other major brands to expand youth sport access. The New York Life Foundation recently backed a three-year, $3.2 million initiative to boost coaching, mentorship and facilities, while FOX Sports has expanded its support for soccer programming, and Academy Sports + Outdoors has joined efforts to supply equipment and youth kits. Both Little League and Boys & Girls Clubs are also part of the Aspen Institute’s Project Play 63X30 Roundtable, which is working towards raising youth sports participation to 63% by 2030.
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