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Baseball, softball development relies on parents, clubs
Against the backdrop of limited government support for baseball and softball in the country, the Indonesian Softball and Baseball Association (Perbasasi) counts on the spirit of its community of players, parents and clubs to keep developing the sports
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gainst the backdrop of limited government support for baseball and softball in the country, the Indonesian Softball and Baseball Association (Perbasasi) counts on the spirit of its community of players, parents and clubs to keep developing the sports.
“We are grateful to have a very active community, which has been our main driver in reviving and developing these sports,” Perbasasi chairman, Gugun Yudinar told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
In the 1990s, softball and baseball became increasingly popular with more and more students hitting the three diamonds in Jakarta. The capital currently has a baseball field in the Senayan compund and two softball fields in Rawamangun, East Jakarta and Cilandak, South Jakarta.
However, the popularity of the sports declined following the 1998 economic crises.
“Now, the development of early-age players is beginning to thrive again, thanks to parents and clubs. Just look at our baseball field. It’s never empty because there’s always tournaments taking place,” said Gugun on Saturday, the last day of the South East Asia Youth Tournament (Seaybst) in Jakarta, which is organized by the Jakarta Youth Baseball Association (JYBA) at Jakarta International School.
“Development and tournaments such as this one can only happen with the support of the community,” said Gugun.
After the Seaybst, other tournaments are in the pipeline, including the Indonesian Softball League, the ASEAN Cup Championship, the Junior National Championship, the Menpora Cup, the Cheetah Cup Baseball Tournament and the Students National Championship.
Although the PERBASASI estimated an annual budget allocation of Rp 2-3 billion, it only receives
a monthly budget of Rp 7 million from the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry.
“Despite the shortage, we don’t quit. We have other resources, for example, we have received donations of equipment from baseball federations in the US and Japan,” said Gugun.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jati Nugroho, has been a baseball enthusiast for the past 15 years and has encouraged the Perbasasi to look beyond the support of parents.
“Parents support their children, not the sport itself,” said Jati.
“I think softball and baseball should be promoted more often in other schools besides the ones
already engage with the sports,”
said Jati.
Rama Jaya Deswanto, whose daughter is a talented baseball player, mentioned several benefits that children get from playing baseball.
“The game’s teamwork helps children develop their characters.
“The sport also applies many rules, which helps their analytical thinking,” she added.
A number of elite schools in Jakarta, including, the Jakarta International School, Madania, SMAN 3, SMAN 70, SMAN 6, SMAN 8, SMAN 82, Gonzaga, Al-Izhar and Tarakanita, already have softball and baseball teams.
Tigor Hakim, chairman of the Garuda club, one of the the nine prominent softball and baseball clubs in the capital, also urged clubs to get more involved with young players.
“Unfortunately, there are only three clubs, Garuda, Prambors, and Rajawali, which encourage development for young players, the rest only cater to teen and adults members.”
One of the reasons the sports are not more popular could be due to the high price of equipment. A ball costs Rp 250,000, a uniform around Rp 300,000, gloves Rp 800,000, special baseball shoes Rp 1 million, while bats range between Rp 3.5 million and Rp 5 million.
“In a way, the sport is exclusive, but the game also welcomes people from a wide range of age groups from 5 to 75,” acknowledged Jati.
Both Tigor and Jati said they hoepd that more companies would be interested in sponsoring or assisting baseball and softball as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs.
At the end of the SEAYBST on Saturday, Indonesian minor league team, Jakarta Blue, took third spot, emulating last year’s feat, after defeating Singapore 7-1.
In the major league, the Jakarta Blue team came in fourth, as it lost to Bangkok 5-6. The Jakarta senior league team also surrended to Bangkok 0-4.
Manila championed the minor league after defeating Perth 11-9, while Perth ruled in the major league after beating Singapore 5-2. Singapore snatched the championship title in the senior league against Perth by 7-3.
