Baseball NSW was privileged to begin building a relationship with the Fukuoka prefecture in 2023!
At the end of last year, we hosted the Orio Aishin Girls High School team at Blacktown International Sportspark. They got to partake in training at our facilities and participated in practice games against our female High-Performance teams (Women’s and Under 16’s).
They also spent some time immersing themselves in Australian culture, visiting the local wildlife park and iconic places in Sydney such as Bondi Beach, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Luna Park.
It was a great experience hosting this group! They boasted strong talent across the team and brought a great vibe to the park before we went into our Christmas break.
In October of last year, Baseball NSW had the privilege of sending a roster of female players including one coach, to Fukuoka, Japan to solidify the first steps in the relationship with Japan. A major element of this partnership is a strong focus on female talent. This visiting team from Orio Aishin was a chance to reciprocate the tour opportunity we were given.
The Prefecture’s teams, the SoftBank Hawks and Kyūshū Honeys are among the premier baseball teams in Japan. Through the MOU, they are committed to sharing resources such as players and coaches and creating opportunities for tours to further develop and strengthen local players.
We look forward to many more opportunities in this new year!
