A funny thing happened on the way to the ballpark this weekend. I was contacted by the company that is working with Justine Siegal, based on a prior story I had posted on AN titled The Role of Women in Baseball, in which we talked about Justine Siegal throwing A's batting practice at Spring Training. I was contacted by a company called Lockerdome; their objective is to track players/teams in amateur sports. Justine's website, which launched Monday, is called Baseball for All, and it is the first sports network for girls baseball in the United States. She aims to connect coaches, players and parents.
The press release is after the jump, but I thought this might be of some interest on AN; there is a high percentage of women here, some of whom may actually play baseball, and I'm sure we all know our share of little girls who like baseball just as much as the big girls do.
Stay tuned, there will be a second post today about the A's and their local community, which will be launched at noon. Game tonight: The A's and Indians play again at 7:05.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Justine Siegal Takes Girls Baseball Online with LockerDome
History Making Girls Baseball Advocate, Justine Siegal, Partners with LockerDome to Launch the First Online Sports Network for Girls Baseball
Saint Louis, MO, May 2, 2011 – Justine Siegal, the growing face of girls baseball, is at it again. Only months after becoming the first female in history to throw batting practice to a MLB team, Siegal is now extending her advocacy of girls baseball to the Internet by partnering with LockerDome to launch the Baseball For All Network.
The Baseball For All Network, which can be accessed at baseballforall.lockerdome.com, is the first sports network for girls baseball in the United States. Utilizing the LockerDome platform, Siegal intends to build girls baseball nationwide by connecting players, coaches, and parents.
"Over 100,000 girls in the United States play baseball. We want to connect them all," commented Siegal. "We expect the Baseball For All Network to become a key tool in the evolution of girls baseball."
In addition to selecting the national Baseball For All All-Star Team through the girls profiles submitted within the Network, Justine envisions the Baseball For All Network as the hub for players to be recruited for other local and regional girls baseball teams.
"My dream is to see girls baseball leagues all across the country," continued Siegal. "My mission is simple. If you tell a girl she cannot play baseball, what else will she believe she cannot do? But if you tell a girl she can play baseball, what else will she then believe she can do?"
The Baseball For All Network was launched in partnership with LockerDome, an online sports software platform that is becoming the standard identity system for youth sports content worldwide.
"Working with Justine Siegal provides LockerDome with a unique opportunity to enhance communication within the passionate, yet highly segmented, girls baseball community," said Gabe Lozano, Co-Founder and CEO of LockerDome. "The Baseball For All Network provides an excellent example of how the LockerDome platform can be utilized to bring together youth sports participants at the local, regional and national levels."
About Baseball For All
Baseball For All provides meaningful baseball instruction and opportunities for girls and boys worldwide. Baseball For All’s Executive Director, Justine Siegal, is the first woman to coach men’s professional baseball (Brockton Rox, 2009) and the first woman to throw batting practice to a MLB team. Siegal has been featured on NBC Nightly News, USA Today, New York Times, Ms. Magazine, MLB.com, Fox & Friends, American Chronicle, AOL News, Yahoo, Boston Globe, and ESPN. More information about Baseball For All can be found at baseballforall.lockerdome.com.
