Subway® Kicks Off ‘Baseball Design Across America’ Tour at Little League’s Opening Day

March 23, 2009 - PRLog -- MILFORD, CT – Through its partnership with Little League Baseball, SUBWAY® Restaurants announced today the first annual “Baseball Design Across America” tour commencing with a National Opening Day game in Los Angeles on March 24. The tour will kick off the 70th anniversary of the first Little League season and will feature baseballs designed and autographed by celebrities that will be auctioned off to the public with the total proceeds benefiting the Little League.

The tour will make stops in seven U.S. cities including the final stop in Williamsport, Penn., at the Little League World Series. Beginning in Los Angeles, the tour will be accompanied by baseball legends who will be serving as official program spokespeople, which include Red Sox Hall of Famer Fred Lynn (Boston, 6/9), two-time World Series champion George Foster (Indianapolis, 6/26) and World Series MVP Bucky Dent (New York City, 8/6). The tour will also make a stop in Philadelphia and St. Louis during All-Star festivities; additional details will be announced when they become available.

“As part of our commitment to healthy, active lifestyles for kids, SUBWAY Restaurants have been proud sponsors of Little League Baseball since 2005,” said Tony Pace, chief marketing officer, SUBWAY Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust. “National Opening Day in Los Angeles and the ‘Baseball Designs Across America’ tour were developed to showcase this great youth sports organization. We look forward to another great season of kids playing hard and eating fresh and to the culmination of the summer-long tour in Williamsport at the Little League World Series.”

Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member Dave Winfield and former All-Star Fred Lynn will serve as celebrity coaches in the National Opening Day game to be held this month at La Cienega Park, Beverly Hills, Calif., giving the Little Leaguers a chance to interact with two of baseball’s all-time greats. The legendary ballplayers will also throw out a ceremonial first pitch.

Some of the celebrities that have designed and autographed baseballs for the tour include Oscar winner Ben Affleck, actor Zac Efron, tennis star Andy Roddick, musician Gavin DeGraw, World Series champion Ryan Howard, four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and the cast of HBO’s “Entourage.”

On June 9, auctions for the celebrity-autographed baseballs will open to the public on Mission Fish, a charitable partner of eBay, and will run through the Little League Baseball World Series that concludes on Aug. 30.

“We’re looking forward to this summer-long event and its culmination in August at the Little League Baseball World Series,” said Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League International. “SUBWAY is an important partner in helping us to bring the benefits of Little League to families in the U.S. and around the world. The ‘Baseball Design Across America’ tour will help to enhance those efforts even more.”

SUBWAY Restaurants have proudly sponsored Little League Baseball since 2005 as a way to reach and encourage Little Leaguers and their families to live active lifestyles and eat healthily.  


About SUBWAY® Restaurants
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, with more than 30,000 locations in 88 countries. Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami, and Singapore, the SUBWAY® chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. The SUBWAY® brand was ranked the number one global franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2008 “Annual Franchise 500” listing.  For more information about the SUBWAY® chain, visit www.subway.com and www.subwayfreshbuzz.com.  SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.

About Little League Baseball & Softball
Little League Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest and most respected youth sports organization. With players in every U.S. state and more than 70 other countries, the program is led by more than 1 million adult volunteers. It serves children ages 5 through 18, including physically and mentally disabled children (Challenger Division) and children in urban areas (Little League Urban Initiative).

Contact Information
Mack Bridenbaker                                                  
SUBWAY Restaurants                              
(203) 882-2711                                                      
m.bridenbaker@sfaft.org

Dana Landry
Catalyst Public Relations
W: (704) 409-7739
C: (703) 851-2278
dlandry@catalystpublicrelations.com