Charlie Manuel Helps Deliver Largest Donation to Philadelphia Sports Programs – NBC10 Philadelphia

It’s hard to beat the excitement you feel when you open a box full of new stuff.

Among the new items presented at Benjamin Johnson Stadium were 10,000 brand new sportswear items.

“It’s a game changer. It is a game changer for many programs in our city,” said Frankford High School head baseball coach Juan Namnun.

This huge donation is just the beginning thanks to a youth baseball and softball scouting service called Perfect Game.

“Perfect Game’s primary goal is to provide young athletes with a platform to succeed both on and off the field and we hope that this apparel will support the efforts of these athletes and contribute to their success,” said Perfect Game- chairman Rick Thurman in a statement.

The Philadelphia Public League will receive a total of more than 30,000 new items of clothing for men and women.

This was just the first of three donations that will reach the children in time for the fall pre-season. The colors were specifically chosen to match the school colors of Philadelphia schools.

These donations are the largest ever received by Philadelphia public school athletic departments.

“It’s tough being a coach of a team in the city center because the financial resources just aren’t there. A donation like this from a company like The Perfect Game is a lifeline,” Namnun explains.

And it doesn’t just apply to baseball or softball players.

These funds will benefit student-athletes from all 30 sports and 75 schools in the league.

“It’s great. Whether it’s practice equipment, whether it’s just extra clothing that they can use while playing sports, our school district clearly has a great need for it, our athletic programs have a great need, and this donation from Perfect Game certainly goes to can be stretched far,” Jimmy Lynch, executive director of athletics for the Philadelphia School District, told NBC10.

Charlie Manuel, the 2008 World Series-winning manager and investor in Perfect Game, was on hand to handle the delivery.

He spoke to NBC10 about his love for amateur baseball and why these donations are important.

“It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I’ll always have a game to go see,” Manuel said. “It gives a kid an opportunity to play, to love playing, and it definitely helps the environment of baseball.”

And if you ask the people around the children, this couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We’re living in challenging times and we’re not getting donations. People have their own problems. So when there’s no money to buy equipment, to buy uniforms, to provide proper transportation, those kinds of things, it’s crippling. It’s crippling for a city that’s already struggling. So the financial need is huge,” Namnun said.