Major League Baseball International (MLBI) will launch a grassroots
youth baseball program, Play Ball!, in five cities across China this
fall.
The program will be incorporated into the physical education curriculum
for students aged eight-to-12 in 120 elementary schools in Beijing,
Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Wuxi.

MLBI said Play Ball! China is set to reach more than 100,000 elementary
school students in the 2007-08 school year alone. Participating
students will be introduced to the rules of the game and instructed on
developing their baseball skills as part of their in-school physical
education programs.

“The Major League Baseball International Play Ball! Program will put
bats and balls into the hands of hundreds of thousands of young players
in China in the coming years,” said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President,
International Business Operations, Major League Baseball. “We are
committed to baseball's future in China and the Play Ball! Program
promises to play an important role in China's emergence as a
baseball-playing nation.”

“Baseball has been developing for a long time in China,” said Ganbei
Lin, Sports and Culture Director of the Beijing Education Bureau.
“MLB's current promotion of baseball will be a big help toward Chinese
youth and the enthusiasm for sports, not only in spurring the growth of
baseball but also for pouring new energy into the development of
Chinese youth sports.”

Nagase Kenko Corporation will serve as an official supplier of Play
Ball! China. Kenko Air Safety Baseball will be the only baseball used
in the program.

In preparation for the first season of Play Ball! China, MLBI has
conducted coaching clinics for more than 400 university and grade
school-level physical education teachers in Beijing, Guangzhou and
Shanghai this past summer. Led by Rick Dell, Director of China Baseball
Development for Major League Baseball International, six American
baseball coaches with extensive international experience instructed the
prospective Play Ball! coaches on basic baseball skills and coaching
techniques. At the conclusion of the clinics, MLBI donated all used
equipment to support baseball in the local communities. MLBI has hired
ZOU Marketing to provide support in the planning and execution of the
clinics and Play Ball! program launch.

Major League Baseball International (MLBI) focuses on the worldwide
growth of baseball and the promotion of Major League Baseball and MLB
Club trademarks and copyrights through special events, broadcasting,
market development, licensing and sponsorship initiatives.