Little League® Baseball and Softball and adidas today unveiled the uniforms for the 2019 Little League World Series (LLWS) tournaments, which will make their on-field debut at the start of the Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, S.C., on July 27.
To tell the story behind the LLWS experience, adidas teamed up with Little League to design uniforms that would showcase the unique regions from across the globe, while highlighting the story of unity, tradition, and the history behind the Little League patch. Steeped in history and tradition, the new adidas uniforms signify Little League’s unrivaled ability to unify communities, regions, and countries to celebrate athletes and spark lifelong friendships through the common language of sports.
“When these boys and girls from around the world get together and share a common goal, there is a unique bonding experience that happens and we wanted to put a spotlight on that unity through the design of these uniforms,” said Todd Rolak, Sr. Design Director, U.S. Sports. “The Little League World Series tournaments are a tremendous journey for young athletes, and we find the ability to have an impact on these moments and these memories incredibly rewarding at adidas.”
“The Little League World Series is an iconic event that gives the opportunity for kids in communities all around the world to come together and unite through the games of baseball and softball,” said Liz DiLullo Brown, Little League Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the adidas team, this year’s uniforms will create a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will remind every Little League World Series player about the importance of unity, tradition, and history.”
Blending the past with the present, the newest iterations of the LLWS Baseball and Softball uniforms feature all new elements that were inspired by the original colorways from each region. Highlighted on the jersey’s sleeves are unique color bar designs that are inspired by flags and crafted from each regional identity. To signify and celebrate the unity that is created among the young athletes, each region’s color bar is fused together to create a unity band on the inside of the neck of the jersey – a final reminder of the league’s commitment to unity as players don their jerseys and head out to the field.
Positioned on the left sleeve of each jersey is the signature Little League Patch in the shape of a keystone, creating a consistent element to the Baseball and Softball uniforms. The Keystone was first created in 1948 in homage to Little League’s 10th anniversary and mirrors the stone that holds a house together, representing Little League’s ability to hold a community together. Creating a symmetrical look, the LLWS logo is stitched on the right sleeve of each jersey, unique to each athlete’s division, event location, and year they played.
As an additional nod to the keystone, adidas created an all-new original typography that emphasizes each region’s name and each player’s number, which has been sublimated into the chest of each jersey. The lettering and numbers for each regional moniker begins with a serif from the custom created typography and aligns to fit over the outline of the keystone patch. The final touch includes an underline stretched below each regional name to visualize the game’s base paths.
In total, adidas designed and created the official on-field uniforms for all seven World Series events: Little League Baseball®, Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, Junior League Baseball, Senior League Baseball, Little League Softball®, Junior League Softball, and Senior League Softball. Each of the regions represented in each of the seven LLWS divisions are noted below:
BASEBALL
- Little League Baseball, ages 10-12: Australia, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Caribbean, Europe and Africa, Great Lakes, Japan, Latin America, Mexico, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, West
- Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, ages 11-13: West, Southeast, Central, East, Southwest, California, Asia-Pacific and Europe and Africa, Mexico, Canada, Latin America, Australia
- Junior League Baseball, ages 12-14: West, Southeast, Central, East, Southwest, Michigan, Europe and Africa, Asia-Pacific, Puerto Rico, Canada, Latin America, Australia
- Senior League Baseball, ages 13-16: West, Southeast, East, Central, Southwest, Europe and Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Latin America, South Carolina, Australia, Caribbean
SOFTBALL
- Little League Softball, ages 10-12: West, Southeast, East, Central, Southwest, Europe and Africa, Oregon, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Latin America
- Junior League Softball, ages 12-14: West, Southeast, Central, East, Southwest, Europe and Africa, Washington, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Latin America
- Senior League Softball, ages 13-16: West, Southeast, East, Central, Southwest, Europe and Africa, Delaware, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Latin America
In addition, adidas will outfit all teams with adidas cleats, training apparel and accessories, and supply all coaches with athletic footwear and apparel.
adidas alumni who started their career in Little League include MLB athletes Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs), Alex Bregman (Houston Astros), Carlos Correa (Houston Astros), Edwin Diaz (NY Mets), Edwin Encarnacion (Seattle Mariners), Jake Arrieta (Philadelphia Phillies), Joe Jimenez (Detroit Tigers), Mike Moustakas (Kansas City Royals), Trea Turner (Washington Nationals), Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox); NBA athletes Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Tracy McGrady (7x NBA All-Star); NFL athletes Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) and Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos).
For more information, visit http://news.adidas.com/US and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram via @adidasBaseball and @LittleLeague #LLWS | #teamadidas.