Major League Baseball (MLB), Houston Astros, and City of Houston jointly announced their agreement to renovate and work together to operate the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Baseball Academy at Sylvester Turner Park.
MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Jimmie Lee Solomon, and Houston Astros Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Drayton McLane joined City of Houston Mayor Bill White and State Representative Sylvester Turner for the announcement at the site of the future complex.
Located in north Houston, the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park will provide year round free baseball and softball instruction to local youth, ages 7-17.
MLB is committed to bringing professional baseball to young people in urban America through the establishment of the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academies. To date MLB, has established and is operating an Academy in Compton, California and has recently signed agreements to build two more, one in Hialeah, Florida and now Houston.
Major League Baseball is committed to improving the lives and increasing the opportunities of young athletes interested in our sport, said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. I cannot think of a better way to prove our promise then by announcing today the development of a third Urban Youth Baseball Academy in Houston, Texas. We have carefully examined and identified areas where we felt there was a need for us to make significant and important investments for the growth of our sport, particularly among underserved communities. Thank you to the City of Houston, Drayton McLane and the Houston Astros for also showing their commitment to our future Major League Citizens.
Major League Baseball is scheduled to begin renovations on the Houston facility in February. The Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Baseball Academy at Sylvester Turner Park will feature a show field complete with scoreboard; permanent seating for 500 fans, with space for an additional 1800 fans; dugouts and lights; one auxiliary fields; two little league/softball fields and batting cages; and a 1,500 square foot office space and other facilities.
