D1 Baseball and Softball Academy in Huntingdon Valley acquired by Major League Baseball training partner

Youth sports company EL1 Sports recently finalized the purchase of D1 Baseball and Softball Academy in Huntingdon Valley.

The Tacoma, Washington-based company began its major East Coast expansion last year with four acquisitions in the greater Philadelphia area. CEO Griff Long said he picked the region for its “rich baseball history and strong anchor programming.”

From EL1 Sports’ About Us page:

EL1 is a national sports training company created by athletes, coaches and educators who believe in the transformative power of sports to make a difference in people’s lives both on and off the field.

We provide expert instruction and a full suite of administrative solutions in the service of athletes, teams, organizations, tournaments, and events – primarily in baseball and softball.

Using a unique business model that emphasizes cooperation rather than competition with the youth sports ecosystem, we create numerous pathways to partnership for facility owners, league operators, and team coaches.

According to The Philadelphia Business Journal, financial terms of the Huntingdon Valley deal were not disclosed. From their coverage:

EL1’s business model is to partner with or acquire existing operations so it can complement, rather than compete with, local “sports ecosystems” and work with existing training centers to provide better backend administrative and operational support and improved technology and training tools.

Stuart Drossner, lead instructor for what is now EL1 Sports Huntingdon Valley, said the partnership with EL1 will strengthen its programming and bring new opportunities to their players. “The company’s administrative and operational expertise will give our coaches more bandwidth to focus on what is happening on the field,” Drossner said.


EL1 joined Major League Baseball in March 2022 to serve as its youth baseball and softball training partner. According to the Business Journal, the key goals of the partnership are to expand access to underserved populations and communities and to grow fan interest by increasing participation in the sport.

For the full article, you can click here. For more on D1 Baseball Academy, you can visit their Facebook page and website. For more on EL1 Sports, you can visit their website.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.