National Adult Baseball Tournament with International Support

This weekend baseball players from across the country will participate in the Baseball National Series in Sandhill Village and organizers are saying it is about more than competition on the field. It’s about international partnership and long-term development. The tournament is being powered by continued support from Japan, through JICA, which has worked alongside Belize’s softball and baseball programs for years, helping to train coaches, develop youth and grow the sport at the grassroots level. Belize Softball Federation President Marconi Leal says that support is now entering a new chapter, as one Japanese development coach prepares to leave, and new partners step in to continue building baseball in Belize.

 

Marconi Leal Jr., President, Belize Softball Federation

“Our main supporter is definitely JICA, who is the socioeconomic development arm for Japan. And over the years they’ve supported us with coaches on a two-year contract. Over the past two years, we had this young man, Kazu, who has been supporting us mainly with the development of baseball at the Rogers Stadium and in some primary schools in the the Belize City area. What they’re doing is he’s leaving the country. He has friends that he’s been sharing about the Belize experience, how he’s been trying to develop baseball in Belize. And so we actually have someone coming in today who is coming in from Mexico City to Chetumal. He’s going to be there tomorrow. He’s going to be donating balls, donating gloves, and also understanding more about how he can support Belize going forward. As Kazu leaves, someone else comes. And so we’re looking forward to that support. We also have members from the different embassies who will be out there because they understand in their country how baseball has supported the socioeconomic development of their country, how it supports sports, how it support youth.  And so we have a lot of people coming out tomorrow to understand how they can be a part of the development of baseball in the country.”

 

Organizers say this weekend’s National Baseball Series is about more than wins and losses, as long‑time support from Japan through JICA gives way to new international partners committed to growing baseball in Belize.