Voyageurs Hit a Home Run in Partnership with Valley East Minor Baseball Association & The Baseball Academy
The Laurentian Voyageurs are proud to announce a new multi-year partnership with the Valley East Minor Baseball Association (VEMBA) and The Baseball Academy.
This effort represents a first of its kind in Northern Ontario for any sport and will facilitate the growth of baseball from grassroots player development through to the elite of our region.
The five-year agreement focuses on building a strong grassroots sporting program in the city of Greater Sudbury. Starting with the 2017 season, all VEMBA rep teams will be proudly wearing the blue and gold of Laurentian and will be rebranded as the Junior Voyageurs. The Baseball Academy’s U15 and U18 Elite teams will also be donning the blue and gold of the Voyageurs beginning in the 2017 season.
Other highlights in the partnership agreement are:
· All VEMBA and Baseball Academy players will receive a Jr. Voyageurs membership card for admission to any Laurentian Varsity Sporting event
· All VEMBA players will receive a discount off any Voyageurs Sport-specific camp program
“We are extremely excited to have the Voyageur brand being shared with the VEMBA and The Baseball Academy,” said Laurentian Athletic Director, Peter Hellstrom. “It allows us to build our brand locally and across Ontario and we are hoping to expand such partnerships to other youth sports. Our dream is to establish programs that help to create Voyageurs for life.”
VEMBA President, Denis Dalcourt, and Vice President, Michel Larivière, are very excited about the recent growth of baseball in the North and how this partnership will continue that development. “Local baseball in Valley East has grown considerably over the last several seasons. As such, VEMBA has found itself in the fortunate position of being able to expand opportunities for players, offer year-round training in conjunction with the Baseball Academy and support coaches, as well as umpires, at every stage of development. As an organization, VEMBA is excited to help lead the resurgence of baseball in Northern Ontario and our newly formed alliance with the Laurentian Voyageurs adds to our ambitious goals for local youth.”
“The Baseball Academy is very excited about their partnership with Laurentian and the Voyageurs,” said Academy owner and director, Jean-Gilles Larocque. “This relationship is a stepping stone for many great things to come in our baseball community. With our promotion of Long Term Athlete Development and commitment to multi-sport athletes, the relationship was very fitting. We look forward to working from the grassroots, with VEMBA, through the elite teams at The Baseball Academy, all the way up to hopefully varsity athletics at the OUA level.”