International Stars Baseball Academy hosted at the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit began in the winter of 2012 as a free, weekly clinic, teaching baseball skills to kids ages 5-14, geared towards beginners and novices in the sport. Since it’s inception the IS Baseball Academy of Detroit has held winter clinics at the Boll Family YMCA for 6 years and have had over 400 kids participate.
Beginning in the summer of 2013, the Boll Family YMCA/International Stars has entered a team in the Detroit PAL/RBI summer league, comprised of kids from the winter baseball clinics. Currently, we have 3 teams, with 50 participants, ages 8-14, playing in the Detroit Legends League (Spring and Fall) and Detroit PAL/RBI Summer League. Since 2018 we have worked together with the Full Count Foundation (FCF) to ensure kids from all over Detroit and of all ages can have an opportunity to play baseball, for free, in 3 different leagues.
Beginning in 2014, with the success of the winter clinics at the YMCA, our Academy coaches began going to different elementary schools in Detroit, to introduce baseball and encourage participation. The majority of students had little or no familiarity with baseball, and many of our program participants come from this endeavor.
Our mission is to develop a year-round indoor baseball-training center that includes various size baseball and softball fields adjacent to the complex. The International Stars Baseball Academy of Detroit will include free, year-round baseball training – including but not limited to - private, group, and team instruction; winter and summer camps/clinics, available to all boys and girls, of all skill levels, ages 6 to 18. The Academy will provide a safe environment with free after-school tutoring, mentoring programs, social work services, career development, with an emphasis on character development.
See our donate page to contribute and help support our ongoing initiative to bring more baseball programs to kids in Detroit.
