The FFBS is supporting the growth of baseball across the country
Baseball, which is widely played across the territory, is making its debut at the CEES. This development marks a new stage in the organisation of the sport in Saint Martin and prompted a visit from Didier Seminet, president of the French Baseball and Softball Federation (FFBS). A regular visitor to the territory, which he regards as a veritable hotbed of talent, he came to support the roll-out of the scheme and outline the federation’s ambitions for the island.
First played over 150 years ago, baseball is now played all over the world. The IOC has selected baseball for men and softball for women, two sports that differ in a number of ways when it comes to the rules. In France, the FFBS has around 14,000 registered members. In Saint Martin, there are currently around 50, but the potential is estimated at nearly 400 players.
Didier Seminet, who has been President of the Federation for 15 years, visits the territory regularly to scout young players and has for some time harboured a desire to set up an academy. The inclusion of baseball in the CEES is a godsend that is speeding things up and will enable the sport to be better organised.
Six secondary school pupils are joining the programme
This is a new approach for the CEES and is all the more interesting given that the agreement is unique in that it has been signed directly with the FFBS rather than with a league or a departmental committee. The federation will therefore ensure the programme runs smoothly and will be involved in training management staff, providing qualified coaches and monitoring the programme. This organisational structure sets the framework and also aligns with the approach championed by Didier Seminet: “We are a small, very flexible federation. We operate a bit like a start-up: we can try out lots of things and it doesn’t matter if we get it wrong.”
For this first year, six secondary school pupils, from Year 6 to Year 9, are joining the CEES baseball section. They will receive 32 hours of training per month with Adonis, who holds a CQP qualification, as well as support from a technical advisor.
For the time being, training sessions will take place at Sandy Ground Stadium, near which a batting cage has been set up. Plans are being considered to build a proper baseball ground on a private plot in Bellevue. In the meantime, trials and matches will continue to take place on the Dutch side of the border, which has a ground that meets international standards.
This cooperation with the Dutch side is all the more important given that several young French girls are currently playing softball there. Partnerships are being established so that the relevant organisations can be identified and officially recognised. These players could, in turn, join the CEES from the start of the 2027 academic year.
On the island, two clubs are currently affiliated to the FFBS. Agnès de Polo, the federation’s representative in Saint Martin, is working to develop new organisations with the ultimate aim of establishing a local league.
One sport, two options
What is being done here with the CEES is a bit like a youth academy. For young people joining this new programme, two options will then be available to them. At the end of Year 9, those who meet the required standard will be able to continue their studies and join the training centres in Rouen, Bordeaux or Montpellier, or even the Pôle France in Toulouse. The
other option is currently being finalised. The FFBS is developing agreements with academies in the Dominican Republic to host young people from Saint Martin, as well as players from mainland France, to expose them to high-level training with a view to turning professional. They may thus follow in the footsteps of the fifteen or so young people from Saint Martin who, over the past 15 years, have joined the national teams and competed in European or World Championships, such as Félix Brown, who now acts as an ambassador and aims to bridge the generational gap between children here and in mainland France.
“Excellence should not be understood solely in terms of performance. Sport has more to offer. Talent is all well and good, but behind it all, you have to learn to work hard.” The FFBS’s philosophy aligns with that of the CEES: to support young people within a high-performance framework whilst using sport as a tool for inclusion, training and personal development.
Didier Seminet has been convinced of this himself since childhood. In 1974, whilst playing football in the school playground, two friends turned up with a baseball glove. “I put it on and, all of a sudden, something changed. I felt I belonged to something. I remain convinced that sport can change lives.”
