The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org
LONDON (11 February 2010) – The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has signed a contract which confirms Rawlings as the official ball of British Baseball. Six major baseball suppliers were invited to take part in the bidding process. All of them submitted very competitive offers and Rawlings were confirmed as the winner. The contract will run until December 2010.
Rawlings is the number one baseball brand in the world and has been setting the trend in baseball technology since its establishment in 1887. It is because of Rawlings’ dedication to baseball that the “Annual Rawlings Gold Glove Award” bears the name of Rawlings. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award has been presented to players for fielding excellence since 1957. Rawlings sponsors more than half of the current MLB Players. Among them are the world’s biggest baseball stars who are also some of the best paid athletes on the planet. This includes players like Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols (pictured), Derek Jeter, Jose Reyes, Chase Utley and many others.
The Rawlings ROLB model will be designated as the official ball of the National Baseball League (NBL). It features the revolutionary Extra Innings Technology™ (EIT). The patented polymer layer repels moisture, both liquid and vapour, which improves performance and makes it longer lasting compared to traditional baseball technology.
The ROLB1 model will be the official ball of British Baseball’s Minor Leagues (Triple-A, Double-AA and Single-A Leagues) and the Under-16 League. The BBF will also recommend the ROLB1 ball for its Under-13 Competitions.
“It is a tremendous boost for British Baseball to be starting this partnership with the world’s number one baseball brand. The contract represents great value for our member clubs and we look forward to working closely with Rawlings to ensure that they too benefit from this partnership,” said a BBF spokesperson. This news comes just weeks after the BBF announced impressive growth in the number of teams joining the British Baseball leagues which was followed by the news that the National Baseball League will be expanding in 2010.
“Rawlings is looking forward to working with the British Baseball Federation and the Baseball and Softball Shop to bring the latest baseball products, innovations, and technologies to the UK,” said Ralph Robert, Rawlings Director of International Sales. “The BBF is continually working to expand their organization and remain dedicated to promoting Rawlings as the leading baseball supplier in the world.”
The official ball will be supplied to British Baseball clubs by Rawlings’ distributor for the United Kingdom, The Baseball and Softball Shop Ltd. They are one of the largest suppliers of baseball and softball equipment in the UK. Apart from supplying the Rawlings balls for official BBF competitions, British baseball clubs and players can also count on the widest range of Rawlings products including fielding and batting gloves, bats, apparel and footwear, field equipment and more. The Baseball and Softball Shop will be able to offer absolutely any Rawlings product to its customers around the UK. This contract confirms them as BBF’s preferred baseball equipment supplier. Information on how to buy Rawlings products can be found on www.baseballandsoftball.co.uk