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New
venues in Africa, Bahamas, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom
mark baseball and softball's global rise
-- New venues to increase opportunities in
sport for women and young people.
-- WBSC President
Riccardo Fraccari: "More and more clubs, communities, cities and
nations are investing in the development of baseball and softball because
it is being recognised that baseball and softball are proven and popular
sporting and fan activities that engage young people across both genders as
well as sponsors and broadcasters and can help to stimulate
economies."
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- A
fresh wave of planned or recently completed baseball and softball
construction projects is set to boost the growing popularity and
globalisation of the bat-and-ball sports, as well as local economies, World
Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) officials reported. The latest
developments follow historic growth for baseball and softball across
Africa, with first-ever national stadiums erected in Ghana and Uganda in early 2014.
Now, as
baseball and softball's global footprint deepens, new facilities are being
rolled out in the Bahamas, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the
United Kingdom, in addition to new-builds in mature markets like Mexico --
and South Korea and Taiwan, where the
first-ever domed baseball stadiums are currently taking shape.
Bahamas
In
2015, a new national baseball stadium in the Bahamas -- Andre Rodgers
National Baseball Stadium -- will be completed and "heralds rapid
expansion of the game of baseball in the Bahamas," reads a statement posted in
November on the official website of the Government of the Bahamas.
Prime
Minister of the Bahamas Perry Christie told reporters: "This is a
result of the extraordinary progress of baseball in the [Bahamas], without
government support, sponsored by people who had an interest, who stimulated
young people...to get involved in baseball. We are now talking a benefit to
the economy of the Bahamas."
Government
officials in the Bahamas indicate the state-of-the-art facility "will
support the nation's current energies to fully develop its sports
tourism."
Netherlands
Europe's
first state-of-the-art baseball and softball complex just outside Amsterdam
in Hoofddorp, Netherlands was inaugurated for the 2014 season and has
already hosted its first international competition. As well as attracting
major baseball and softball events to the region and providing a new and
exciting athlete-/fan-experience, the venue's strategic location makes it
very attractive as a regional training centre to further strengthen the
development of baseball and softball in the Netherlands and in Europe.
In
2013, the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association unveiled Europe's
first baseball and softball urban playground. The
innovative "urban" concept was rolled out in Rotterdam and aims
to take organised baseball and softball to the street, increasing the
sports' pathway and connection with young people in non-traditional settings.
New
Zealand
Last
month, the Auckland Council unveiled a new crown jewel baseball
facility, cited by Auckland city officials as "the first of its
kind in New Zealand." Baseball New Zealand and McLeod Park Baseball
Diamond have since been awarded the hosting rights of the U18 Baseball
Oceania Championship, which serves as the qualifier for the 2015 U18 WBSC
Baseball World Cup. Following McLeod Park's opening ceremonies, officials
in New Zealand have already been assessing the feasibility of building
baseball's first-ever national stadium in New Zealand.
Spain
The
Instituto Barcelona Deportes (Barcelona Sports Institute) announced last
week that it is set to begin construction on a new sports/community
project, including the roll out of a new softball field next
to baseball's Estadio Carlos Perez de Rozas on Pierre de Coubertin Street
in Barcelona.
"Sport
is fundamental in Barcelona, so we are committed to providing the city with
sports facilities necessary to ensure constant sport and of quality,"
Deputy Mayor for Quality of Life, Equality and Sports, Ms. Maite Fandos,
said in a statement.
South
Africa
In a
joint venture, the City of Cape Town and the Department of Cultural Affairs
and Sport announced last month the
unveiling of the rebuilt Bishop Lavis Softball field, which included
laser-levelling of the pitch, installation of irrigation, construction of a
backstop and fence, as well as installation of floodlights to hold training
and competitions in the evenings.
"We
are committed to providing facilities which will encourage communities to
participate in sport and will nurture young talent. Sport encourages young
people to live healthy and keeps them involved in wholesome activities and
off the street," the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services,
Alderman Belinda Walker, said in a statement.
United
Kingdom
Following
the first-ever dedicated baseball/softball stadium in the U.K. with Farnham
Park Baseball and Softball Complex built last year in Slough,
BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK) recently announced plans to build
a new baseball and softball facility in Manchester to promote the sports
and bolster participation numbers in the North of England. As growth has
taken off in the U.K., including the newest facility inaugurated in Essex,
John Boyd, BSUK Joint CEO, announced in November a
project to expand the Farnham complex to include another international-standard
baseball field.
WBSC on
Baseball/Softball's Continued Trend of Global Growth
WBSC
president Riccardo Fraccari hailed the wave of initiatives as a major boost
for the positioning of baseball and softball as one of the world's leading
global sports, particularly as WBSC and its partners continue working
toward a return baseball and softball in the Olympic Games.
"Our
sport has entered into a new era of globalisation," said the world
governing body president. "More and more clubs, communities, cities
and nations are investing in the development of baseball and softball
because it is being recognised that baseball and softball are proven and
popular sporting and fan activities that engage young people across both
genders as well as sponsors and broadcasters, and can help to stimulate
economies.
"WBSC,
our National Federations, our professional league partners and the youth
leagues are heavily invested in promoting our sport around the world to
attract and reach -- and remain relevant to -- the next generation of
athletes and sport fans, alike. This recognition and support from
governmental institutions to help drive growth marks a significant break
through for our sport in terms of universality and evolving into a truly
global sport."
Based on data compiled, the WBSC estimates that over 65 million athletes
practice the sport of baseball and softball in over 140 countries, with
youth and females making up the majority of the
participation-demographic.
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