February 1, 2006 “ Mechanicsburg PA“ The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) designated Baden Sports Inc. as the "Official Ball" of the PIAA Basketball and Volleyball Championships for the next four years, effective July 1, 2006. Not only will the state's athletes compete using Baden's Perfection™ World Class Game balls, but Baden's competitively priced, innovative, and exciting custom promotional products will help each member school grow their resources. In an effort to provide a smooth transition for schools to the newly adopted ball, Baden will provide a free Perfection™ Elite Basketball and Volleyball to each of the state's high school basketball and volleyball programs respectively. The donation value of these introductory balls exceeds $93,000. The free balls represent a unique approach to allow schools to familiarize themselves with the adopted ball.   

PIAA Executive Director, Brad Cashman stated, The vision and generosity of Baden will truly benefit our athletic programs at the individual schools.  It is rewarding to see the corporate community reach out to our schools.  PIAA appreciates the support of Baden Sports in our state.

Michael Schindler, CEO of Baden Sports, Inc. commented, Supporting each PIAA high school program reinforces Baden's Passion for a Better Game®.  Not only does it demonstrate our confidence in the quality and performance of our products, it also allows each school to stretch their budget dollars at this critical time of budget deficits.  Supporting associations such as PIAA enables more students to participate in the positive activity of athletics.”

Brent Williams, Baden's Director of Marketing knows Pennsylvania high school players and coaches will appreciate Baden's commitment to the game asserting,  “The superior performance of the Perfection™ game ball combines many state of the art advances exclusive to Baden. An example is our patent pending Total Feel Technology™, which includes Baden's exclusive symmetrical design with balanced panel widths, and the Stealth Soft-Valve System™.  These innovations ensure unequaled ball handling, control, playability, and durability. 

The PIAA joins a select group of Best Choose Baden® members, which includes many of the top high school and collegiate coaches and conferences in the nation.  Basketball coaching legends Pat Summitt of Tennessee and Bob Knight of Texas Tech choose Baden, as well as 2005 NCAA Volleyball Champion, Jim McLaughlin of the University of Washington and AVCA Coach of the Year, John Cook of runner-up Nebraska. In Pennsylvania Baden is the Official Ball of the Philadelphia Catholic High School League, as well as NCAA conferences, The Patriot League, The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and The Northeast-10 Conference.  Neighboring states Ohio, West Virginia, and Delaware are included with the state high school athletic associations that have official ball agreements with Baden.

Baden, The Athletic Ball Expert® entered the ball market in 1979 to address the need for higher quality products.  Their Remember Quality is Important® and Passion for a Better Game® commitment taglines are demonstrated as they continue to design and develop innovative products facilitating improved play by athletes of all ages and abilities.  At Baden the player truly is first priority.  No other company comes close to matching Baden's technical expertise and value it brings to sports.

To learn more of Baden’s game changing innovations go to www.badensports.com.  For information regarding Baden Basketball and their extensive dealer network contact Eric Estep, Baden's National Team Sales Manager at erice@badensports.com.  For Baden Volleyball contact Matt Holm, Baden's National Volleyball Manager at mholm@badensports.com.