- WHAT IS QUICKBALL?
Learn how it all started
Our history
1998, The start
Quickball is developed by brothers Chris and Keith Mackie with help from their father, Russell, to speed up playtime.
1999, College-Bound
Introduced as an intramural sport at the NIRSA conference, it became the sport of choice for the State Directors tournament.
2003, Making Rounds
Quickball is adopted by the youth baseball community, including the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.
2007, Entry Level
Introduced our Entry Level programs to elementary and middle school students.
2008, Red Dragon
Cal Ripken, Jr. visits China to educate children about diamond sports using Quickball.
2009, First Tournament
The first Quickball Competitive Play tournament welcomes 165 players to its Maryland matchup.
2010, Let’s Move
First Lady Michelle Obama includes a Quickball program as part of her Let’s Move campaign and joins an event, too!
2014, New Heights
Partnered with Glenside Youth Athletic Club, boosting the number of 6u kids starting to play tenfold!
2017, World Series
The first-ever Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken League Quickball World Series is held in North Carolina.
2018, Quickball SE
Started the first Quickball Special Education school program in Philadelphia.
2019, QB Advanced
The first Quickball Advanced program (ages 7–9) is introduced by Southwest Athletics.
2021, Going Global
Quickball today is played across the globe, from Latin America to West Africa.
2022, EL1 Acquisition
The national training company has emphasized cooperation from day one.
EL1 Sports
In 2022, Quickball was acquired by EL1 Sports, a national sports training company created by athletes, coaches and educators who believe in the transformative power of sport. Through a combination of expert instruction and a full suite of administrative solutions, EL1 dedicates itself to assisting players, teams, organizations, and creating access to world class tournaments and events.
PROUD YOUTH BASEBALL & SOFTBALL
TRAINING PARTNER OF MLB
Working with MLB
In March of 2022, we were honored to announce our partnership with Major League Baseball to help bring Quickball to underserved communities.
Our partners
Organizations that have partnered with Quickball include the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, the Toronto Blue Jays, USA Baseball, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign, Babe Ruth Leagues, and, as of 2022, over 60 Little Leagues.
