Looking back at the 12U French Championship. A category where young players really start to play baseball. Every year, the best clubs meet. At the magnificent Evry Courcouronnes field, the competition highlighted the Metz club. Meeting with a young player, the president and the coach of the Cometz.
A 2010 Player: Silas Boussert
I found it to be a great experience, it allowed us to face the best 12U teams in France from the North and South regions. This French Championship title is very important to us, as it crowns a whole year of preparation. Teams change every year and evolve. Next year I will be part of the 15U and I am proud to have contributed to bringing my club a French Championship title.
The President: David Ten Eyck
Working with young baseball players is at the heart of our club’s project. We work every day to help our young players progress and to help them flourish through baseball. I am so proud that this work is materialized by a second title in five years (after the one in 2018) in the 12U category. This shows the quality of the work that Bruno does with the young players within our club. It’s also a sign that we made the right choice by putting all our energy into the Metz Baseball Academy… by structuring our offer around quality training for young players.
I also want to congratulate and thank all the clubs that focus on the training of young players… because the result of such or such a match, or the champion of such or such a season, can change depending on the facts of the game, or the physical form of a few players… But having partners, colleagues, who work in the long term to train young players, is absolutely precious. It’s this collective work with colleagues in other clubs that gives meaning to our work, and that represents the future of French baseball. I obviously have a special thought for our two opponents this weekend, the Renards de la Vallée du Gapeau and the Meds de Marseille, who do enormous work for the benefit of young players. I hope above all that the work of the Marseille club to obtain a baseball field will soon come to fruition. They have coaches and players of such quality… it would be a tragedy for our sport if this work were blocked for infrastructure issues.
Bruno Fagnoni, Coach and Director of Metz Baseball Academy
Two in 4 years! Two French Championship titles since 2018 in 12U is huge. Since 2012, only Rouen has achieved this feat by winning the title two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013. This is the result of collective work, without the involvement of the players, the committee, the technical staff, the volunteers, the parents, nothing would have been possible. I am very proud of the work accomplished, after the title in 2018 it was necessary to rebuild and this team did not exist 4 years ago. The creation of the MBA (Metz Baseball Academy) has allowed the training of these young players to bring them to the highest level.
I want to salute and congratulate the Meds de Marseille and the Renards de la Vallée du Gapeau for their journey. Their clubs are part of a great region of Baseball that focuses on the training of young players. Bravo also to Evry who allowed us to live a final 4 in a magnificent complex with flawless organization and a field adapted for young practice.
And now we get back to work, see you in 4 years!
