The 18-team Frontier League will adopt a new name and brand for the 2027 season and beyond, as the MLB Partner League becomes the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB).
The Frontier League launched in 1993 and spans from multiple Canadian cities to North Carolina and Mississippi. It’s one of three MLB Partner Leagues and currently features the most teams. The National Association name has a long history in professional baseball, beginning in 1901: affiliated Minor League Baseball teams played under the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues umbrella until MiLB was absorbed by Major League Baseball.
According to a press release, the rebranding process began in the fall of 2024 when Frontier League’s Board of Directors formed a Strategic Planning Committee to evaluate their current position and future opportunities in the professional baseball structure. The committee was composed of team owners with a variety of professional sports experience, ranging from people with more than 20 years in the Frontier League to those new to the league but with an extensive background in the sports and entertainment industry.
“With the tremendous growth over the past five years, highlighted by our expansion into Canada along with the Northeast and Southeast in the United States, our Board felt that it was the appropriate time for a detailed study of both our current role and future opportunities,” league commissioner Steve Tahsler said via press release. “Working with an outside facilitator, the Strategic Planning Committee determined that we had outgrown the Frontier League brand, and that National Association of Professional Baseball better identified our current structure and future goals.”
The strategic visioning and rebranding process are both being led by BLDG, a consultancy firm out of Covington, Kentucky. BLDG previously oversaw the 2020 rebranding of the Florence Y’alls team along with the 2025 brand refresh of the Windy City ThunderBolts.
The new “NA” monogram, adorned with a signature pennant flag, will be featured prominently on all team uniforms, digital platforms, and league broadcasts beginning in the 2027 season. The visual identity also includes French versions, covering the Canadian teams.