Atidy stadium with a single set of stands has become, at least for one long weekend in September, the capital of French baseball...
Located 40 km south of Paris, the field sits on the edge of a nondescript business park and one could easily drive past it without noticing. The stadium is home to the Templiers of Sénart, France’s newly-crowned baseball champions, and the site of the first ever France International Baseball Tournament.
Japan, Belgium and Holland have come here to play for little more than practice and bragging rights should they pull off a victory, but organisers hope Sénart proves to be the fertile ground for French baseball to thrive in.
Contrary to what many may think, the “old ball game” is not new to France. The country’s first baseball federation was founded in 1924 and today’s top-tier league has existed for around 50 years. But in the past five decades the sport has failed to win the kind of following European football, rugby or even basketball – like baseball, foreign imports – enjoy.
The game has seen a slight rise in popularity in recent years. Around 12,000 people – men, women and children combined – play competitive baseball across the country. Even if that figure is double what it was five years ago, the French Federation of Baseball and Softball (FFBS) knows it must create more excitement, both home and abroad, to keep up the momentum.
Exposure is the key to steady growth, and that is precisely why France has organised the tournament in Sénart. The international series is unprecedented in the country, and for many people signals a fresh start for French baseball.
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