14u teams from DREAM and the White Sox ACE Programs will compete in the “A Dream Fulfilled” Game on the iconic movie set field, airing nationally on FS1 on Wed., Aug. 11
June 22nd, 2021
Major League Baseball today announced that two 14u baseball teams representing New York City and Chicago will compete in a special exhibition game, titled “A Dream Fulfilled,” in Dyersville, Iowa in celebration of MLB at Field of Dreams Presented by GEICO. On Wednesday, August 11th at 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT, teams from DREAM (www.wearedream.org) and the White Sox ACE (Amateur City Elite) programs will compete on the iconic corn-stalk field at the fan-favorite tourist destination to a national television audience as the contest will air LIVE on FS1.
On the following day, the young players and their coaches will attend the MLB at Field of Dreams game featuring the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, the first Major League game ever held in the State of Iowa. MLB built a temporary ballpark adjacent to the movie site, with a potential capacity of up to 8,000 fans.
The Chicago White Sox created the Amateur City Elite youth baseball program in 2007 with the goal of providing high-quality baseball instruction, as well as leadership/mentorship opportunities on and off the field, to young athletes from Chicago’s underserved and inner-city communities. The ACE program features more than 150 participants annually at various age levels, young men and women who are often the first in their families to go to college, earn degrees and build successful careers through baseball or other professional avenues. Since its inception, 26 ACE participants have been drafted by Major League Baseball organizations, including two in the first round of the MLB Draft. 94 ACE alumni have played college baseball at the Division I level, including an NCAA National Champion at Vanderbilt, and more than 225 players have earned college scholarships. During the 2021 season, outfielder Corey Ray became the first ACE alum to reach the major leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Originally founded as Harlem RBI, DREAM traces its beginnings back to 1991 when a group of volunteers transformed an abandoned, garbage-strewn lot into two baseball diamonds for the youth in East Harlem, creating the organization’s very own “Field of Dreams.” Today, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of six PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs, including the MLB Youth Academy at Roberto Clemente State Park. Through DREAM’s commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, the organization creates lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom.
Field of Dreams stars Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Amy Madigan. It was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Picture in 1990 and was selected to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2017. The 1989 film tells the story of Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, a husband and father who is tending to his cornfield when he hears a mysterious voice intone, “If you build it, he will come.” According to the American Film Institute (AFI), those words are the 39th top film quote of all-time. The White Sox and the Yankees are the two favorite Clubs of Ray’s father, John Kinsella, at different points of his life.
MLB at Field of Dreams presented by GEICO is proudly sponsored and supported by Doosan, John Deere, Musco Lighting and Budweiser. MLB at Field of Dreams follows other recent special events that have taken groundbreaking Major League games to non-traditional domestic locales, including the Fort Bragg Game in 2016, MLB In Omaha at the NCAA’s Men’s College World Series in 2019 and the annual Little League Classic in Williamsport (2017-19). The events at Fort Bragg and in Omaha were the first Major League games ever in North Carolina and Nebraska, respectively.
Field of Dreams is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
