SANFORD: Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has launched the Country Partner Program — an initiative designed to expand the company’s international presence while creating new opportunities for aspiring athletes everywhere.

The scheme will enable select organizations to become the exclusive Perfect Game partner within their respective countries through annual licensing agreements. Each one will be responsible for managing local operations and growing the Perfect Game platform in its market, with an emphasis on building strong relationships with local baseball and softball organizations, teams, coaches, players and other key stakeholders.

In return, Perfect Game will provide global marketing, PR and social media support, DiamondKast streaming and scouting analytics, PG Player Profiles for all international players, and global brand, sponsorship, and media oversight. The company will also provide instructional training for all Country Partners to ensure consistent, high-quality operations around the world.

The program is designed to create a connected international pathway within the Perfect Game ecosystem, beginning with regional events and opportunities for players to compete locally before advancing to national platforms and, ultimately, an international flagship tournament. It will also give international players the opportunity to be scouted and recruited by US colleges, universities and professional teams. 

“There are more than 500 million baseball fans and 65 million baseball and softball participants around the world,” said Kash Shaikh, Perfect Game’s chief marketing officer and head of international.

“But there’s never been a unified international platform for competitive baseball and softball players to get scouted and recruited by the best schools, programs and leagues in the world. By extending Perfect Game’s best-in-class events, media, data and scouting platform across the world, now there is. We will create more opportunities for more kids in more countries.”

Shaikh joined Perfect Game in April after spending the last four years building Baseball United, the Middle East and South Asia’s first professional baseball league. The role included working with dozens of baseball federations and event operators across five continents, many of which will be involved in Perfect Game’s expansion.