In the week leading up to the MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 presented by Capital One, primary school children in London will have the opportunity to take part in the London-based First Pitch Festival at Hopkins Field on June 22. Now in its third year, MLB First Pitch is a grassroots skills program aimed at introducing a new generation of players to baseball. Last week, primary school children took part in satellite First Pitch Festivals in Cardiff and Sheffield.

MLB First Pitch provides children between 8-12 with an opportunity to try a new sport and learn the fundamentals of baseball: hitting, fielding, running, pitching and gameplay. MLB has worked together with Youth Sport Trust to offer fun and inclusive resources to spark an interest in physical activity, sport and the game of baseball. In addition to play and basic skill development, First Pitch also develops personal skills like teamwork, leadership, resilience, self-esteem and critical thinking.

Joined by members of the local playing community, comprised of volunteers who support the event, the first two MLB First Pitch Festivals were hosted in Sheffield and Cardiff, where more than 200 primary school children took part at each location. The upcoming Hopkins Field event in East London, will be joined by MLB Legends & World Series champions David Eckstein and Jake Arrieta, representing the Cardinals and Cubs, respectively, who will help introduce the participants to baseball.

To drive growth and inspire more communities to experience the charm of the sport, MLB First Pitch is one part of MLB’s £1 million pound investment to develop and implement a program of activity by 2026. The investment will go toward a new wide reaching legacy program running between 2023 and 2026, which includes 50 community outreach projects.

Through the legacy program, MLB is committed to creating new playing opportunities for tens of thousands of young people plus improving pathways for elite player development. This includes the European Development Tournament, which is taking place at Farnham Park from June 19-22. The tournament is a chance for Europe’s top 90 prospects to compete in front of MLB scouts, all hoping to earn a place in the greatest league in the world.

Plans are also underway for building additional capacity within club and community playing networks -- including providing targeted support to expand and improve baseball/softball infrastructure.

Ben Ladkin, MLB Europe, Managing Director said: “Baseball and Softball participation in the UK is on a great trajectory, and we are delighted to be working with our partners BaseballSoftballUK and The Greater London Authority/Mayor of London to take this growth to the next level. First Pitch will embed the sport in the lives of a generation of young people, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the sport.”

Alison Williams, All Saints Church in Wales Primary, Barry said: “What a wonderful event! The children had fun, working as a team and developing their baseball skills. Superbly organized. The children came away buzzing for baseball! We can't wait to continue playing ball!”

Holly Ireland, Nike RBI Wales said: “This was a fantastic day! It was amazing to see all the young people really getting into the activities. My favorite question was "can I have another go?" This is the future of the game, and the future's looking bright. These children will talk about -- and remember -- this fun day for a long time.”

The St. Louis Cardinals will play the Chicago Cubs in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 presented by Capital One on June 24-25 at London Stadium. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.co.uk/mlb.