Administrator of French Baseball Fans
BTVF: Who are you, François Gadre?
F.G: I’m 50 years old, married with two children, Alicia, 6, and Andrew, 3. I’m the health prevention manager for the Ligue contre le cancer des Hauts de Seine (92). I discovered baseball during a scout gathering where I learned to play with American and Canadian scouts. I launched my first club at 17, ‘Les Corsaires’ in Brest. I stayed there until 2005. From 2006 to 2008, I went to Martinique where, of course, I introduced the youngsters in the neighborhood to the sport before returning to France to start working in Hauts de Seine. I first played with the Teddy Bears in Cergy, then the Wildcats in Colombes before reviving the Clamart club after the Dominicans left. I was never a great player, but my passion for the game led me to focus on coaching and working with the youngest players. I mostly played slow-pitch softball with crews from US Navy ships docked in Brest and at SHAPE (Headquarters of Allied Forces in Europe) in Mons, Belgium. I also played a bit in a corporate slow-pitch softball team in San Francisco. Baseball has introduced me to many people, and I was lucky enough to learn to play at Bucky Dent’s Baseball School with pro coaches and Minor League players. I even had the chance to host a former pitcher from my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, Elias Sosa, at my home.
BTVF: You are the President of a recent club in Clamart. How did you get through the COVID period, and how is your club doing today?
F.G: We managed to pull through quite well. I kept in touch with club members via WhatsApp. I organized photo contests, street baseball bat creation contests (stickball/vitilla), and drawing contests with the youngest players. This helped us retain members who signed up in 2021 and significantly increased our youth roster for the 2021/2022 season. The development of street baseball (vitilla/stickball/wiffle ball and Baseball 5) undoubtedly saved the club.
BTVF: In 2010, you created a public Facebook group called ‘French Baseball Fan.’ How did the first five years go?
F.G: I created this group simply to share my passion for the game. At first, there weren’t many members, but gradually, I found myself with 1,000, then nearly 2,000 members. I must admit, I was the first surprised.
BTVF: Today, the Facebook group has nearly 2,000 followers, and on average, 4 to 5 posts are made per day by you or other members. Describe the editorial line and your interactions with members.
F.G: I try to highlight those often overlooked in other media, like small clubs, women’s baseball, and baseball around the world. I also enjoy sharing the history of baseball. Currently, I have 884 active members, mostly aged between 25 and 54, with 15% women. I regularly receive information not only from baseball-cultured countries like the USA and Canada but increasingly from other countries like Tunisia, Madagascar, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Benin, which are very active in developing the sport.
BTVF: We see many posts about vintage baseball. Explain this trend?
F.G: I’m very interested in the history of baseball. I admit that my contacts with Gaétan ALIBERT have something to do with it, even if we’ve mostly exchanged via the group and email. I’m really looking forward to reading his book. As I said earlier, I try to highlight the forgotten aspects of baseball, like women’s professional baseball. Posts about vintage baseball also help discover or rediscover the great names of the sport. For me, it’s important to know the origins to go further today.
BTVF: What can we wish you?
F.G: More members in the group. Above all, to be a platform for small clubs or for people starting the adventure around the world. For now, 10 countries are represented. There are still many more to discover.
Interview conducted by Didier CANNIOUX
