FRANKFURT, Germany — The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) gave a full presentation of the new Baseball5™ street discipline at the yearly General Assembly of the German Baseball Softball Federation (DBV). The gathering took place on Saturday, 3 March, at the house of the German Olympic Sports Federations (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund) where Germany’s baseball and softball leaders gathered.
With Baseball5’s Official Rules recently announced, WBSC’s key concept of the urban discipline is that it be played anywhere and by anyone with just a rubber ball.
German President Mirko Heid praised the WBSC initiative, “Following the initial Baseball5 demonstration at the European Congress in Paris, I see great utility in this new youth-based street version for unlocking baseball/softball’s potential and bringing our sport to new urban communities that have not been reached yet with the traditional version.”
German baseball and softball leaders across the nation will now propose introducing this new modern format to clubs and schools to boost mass participation and raise exposure levels of baseball/softball.
WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said: “The initial general reaction to Baseball5 has been positive, and there is definitely significant interest in it, which was our goal in launching something new. I am convinced that with this fast, youth-focused, five-player format, we can introduce baseball/softball to schools and multi-sport associations, furthering our vision to grow into a major global sport of over 1 billion fans and players by the end of the next decade.
