eBASEBALL™ Federation Focus: France is on WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS
French Baseball Softball Federation
General Questions about the National Federations
1. Recap the basic history of your National Federation and the origins of baseball in your country
Founded in 1924, the French Baseball & Softball Federation (FFBS) is the organisation in charge of the development of baseball and softball in France. The game of baseball was played as early as the end of the 19th century in France, during the World Expo and thanks to exhibition games from Major League Baseball teams such as the Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants.
As of 1 January this year, the FFBS counts 185 affiliated clubs and 13,000 registered members, a 50% increase over the last decade and currently ranks as No 1 in the world in Baseball5.
2. Describe your National Team programmes
FFBS runs national team programmes in Baseball (U-12, U-15, U-18, U-23, Men’s Baseball, Women’s Baseball), in Softball (Women’s U-15, U-18, U-22, Senior and Men’s Senior), Baseball5 (Youth and Senior) and Blind Baseball.
3. Describe your top-level competition (teams, cities involved, format)
Division 1 Baseball is an eight club competition with a regular season and playoffs. The teams this year are: Rouen, Sénart, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Savigny-sur-Orge, Toulouse, Montpellier, La Rochelle and Metz.
Division 1 Women’s Softball is a six club competition with a regular season and playoffs. The 2024 teams are: Evry-Courcouronnes, Nice, Saint-Raphaël, Grenoble, Pessac and Clapiers-Jacou.
4. Describe your grass-root activity
FFBS mainly uses Baseball5 as a tool to grow the game, both with clubs and within the school systems. FFBS also runs programs targeting specific populations, for instance offering baseball/softball gloves to all new girls under 18 registering at the Federation.
5. Please give an estimate of how many people play baseball and softball in your country.
There are currently almost 13,000 baseball & softball players in France.
1. What do you hope to achieve by participating in WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS?
Continue exploring eSport and overall growth opportunities for French baseball/softball.
2. How will your presence at WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS benefit your baseball and softball communities?
Provide our members with an additional activity and reach new audiences.
3. What skills from eBASEBALL do you believe will transfer to actual baseball?
Playing sport video games and watching regular baseball games on TV, helps enhance technical and strategic knowledge of the game that can be put into use in actual baseball.
4. How does your participation in WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS align with the overall strategy or mission of your federation?
FFBS is aiming to grow in every aspect of the sport and provide its members with as many opportunities as possible to get engaged with the sport of baseball/softball.
5. What benefits do you believe that you can bring to WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS?
Help to promote eBaseball and baseball/softball as a whole within our community and in the gamers community.
6. What advice would you give to other NFs who are interested in being part of WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS?
Get involved, eSport is a fast growing discipline that can offer growth opportunities to your organisations.
7. What are you looking forward to most in relation to WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS?
Promote eSport and strengthen FFBS initiatives in this new discipline.