There will be more little fans than ever wearing Royals gear around metro Kansas City this year. About 3,000 Royals-branded jerseys will go to 3&2 Baseball Club of Johnson County.
The team, along with Majestic Athletic and co-sponsors Academy Sports + Outdoors and KSHB-TV, will outfit approximately 200 youth league baseball teams in the pre-school through second grade division.
“We feel very strongly about supporting youth baseball in our community, and this partnership with 3&2 helps us further that in so many ways,” said Royals General Manager Dayton Moore. “Working with the 3&2 Baseball Club helps the Royals increase involvement among young people as they play this game we all love.”
The 3&2 Baseball Club of Johnson County is coming off its 66th year of operation in 2016. It's one of the largest independent youth baseball organizations in the U.S.--and the largest in the Midwest with over 7,000 players.
As a non-profit, it's self-supporting with revenues coming from player and team fees, tournament entry fees, concession and gate revenues, donations, retail operations, and corporate partnerships.
There are two seasons of play; the typical spring/summer league that in 2016 had 450 teams from pre-school T-ball to seniors in high school and a fall ball program, with 189 teams this year.
Opening week is April 4-10, with the season opener tournament kicking off on April 3. See the club's calendar for more information.
“Making the kids feel a little like their big-league heroes by wearing similar uniforms just makes their baseball experience that much more special," said Neil Rutkowski, Director of Operations for 3&2 Baseball of Johnson County.
3&2 Baseball was selected as only the fifth youth league in an American city with a Major League team invited to participate in this jersey program. Other participating MLB franchises include Arizona, San Diego, Chicago and Tampa Bay.
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“As the Official Meteorologist of the World Champion Kansas City Royals, we recognize the importance the game of baseball has in our community. KSHB-TV is proud to head into this partnership with the Royals and 3&2,” said Randy Thurman, Creative Services Director of KSHB-TV.
