Member News

February 24, 2017

Baseball gets major boost with launch of 'Field of Dreams' in India

Indian Sports News: 06 Feb 2017

New Delhi: Grenville Kleiser, a noted author, once said, ‘By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character’. Raunaq Sahni has shown the same self-belief and discipline to launch the Field of Dreams, India’s first professional size baseball field and membership club set up by Grand Slam Baseball in New Delhi.

The launch was attended by His Excellency Nadir Patel High Commissioner of Canada and Her Excellency Samargiul Adamkulova, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic amongst others.

Grand Slam Baseball has collaborated with Major League Baseball and Play Global for the initiative. The state of the art facility is constructed on a vast 6 acres and marks a historic moment in Indian sports as it will be one of the most expensive privately owned sports infrastructure - setting a benchmark for all other sports in the country.

The field will host a team of five international baseball experts who will run train-the-trainer programs and research on Indian arm strength. The two-week program will witness 100 baseball athletes from the National Capital Region, including 40 girls from the Delhi State team.

The new facility will serve as a hub for Indian baseball and professional baseball development. The Co-Founder of Grand Slam Baseball, Raunaq Sahni decided to support baseball in India as he himself is a passionate player and has played professionally.

“Our aim is to change the dynamics of sports in India and promote the game at the grassroots level. We will offer free membership and training to 200 baseball athletes from government schools, out of which almost half are extremely talented," said Raunaq.

“We have made it mandatory for parents to attend 80% of the games so that they watch the game and learn the rules. It automatically creates a multiplier effect. With this facility, I am confident that we can create a revolution in Indian sport. If we can develop one player who plays in Major League Baseball, it will change the dynamics. We need role models for kids to emulate,” added Raunaq.

The physical, mental and cultural links between baseball and cricket are undeniable, and the International baseball community now believes that they can capitalize on these connections to make India the next hotbed for baseball talent. Globally baseball and softball is worth more than $20 billion industry. There are already more than 80,000 baseball and softball players in India.

Play Global coaches Zach Graefser and Andy Berglund just completed a week of coach education in New Delhi with Grand Slam Baseball. “This is a big step for India.The kids are so exuberant about the game. They are eager to learn. With 1.4 billion people in this country we can do wonders. We would like to work closely with Grand Slam, develop coaches and grow the game in India," said Zach Graefser.

Rick Dell, Director of baseball development in Asia, has been to India many times: “The impression that I have today with the new baseball field is fabulous. Grand Slam Baseball is doing a fantastic job to promote the game at the grassroots level.”

“Our strategic aim is to grow the game globally, and India is central to that mission. For any program to succeed, we need national coaches who have the persona to keep the momentum going. We need to create a robust system in place. Indians have the arm strength to pitch at the international level. It comes down to training and developing correct technique to compete at the highest level,” signs off Dell.