The Templiers club is a cornerstone of baseball in the Paris region. We sat down with their new manager and president to review the 2023 season and look ahead to the next campaign: Julien BRELLE ANDRADE, General Manager, and Mario BRELLE, President.
BTVF: For the entire club and all its teams, what was the verdict on 2023?
The 2023 season was a good one! For the eighth consecutive year, the Templiers are the largest club in France by number of registered players. This season saw 15 teams competing in championships, including seven youth teams. On the sporting front, after a promising start to the year in January 2023 with the victory of our 12U team at the international tournament in Amsterdam, the success of our young Templiers continued to grow: runners-up in the Île-de-France region for the 12U and 15U categories, and runners-up in the national 15U championship, just like in 2022. We also saw our first team and reserve team reach the semifinals in the D1 and D2 championships, along with a semifinal finish in the 2023 France Challenge hosted in Sénart.
BTVF: What was the verdict on the high-level D1 and D2 divisions for 2023?
In Division 2, the team was primarily made up of very young players trained at the club. We had an excellent season, qualifying for the semifinals against many high-quality opponents. We then bowed out in the semifinals to Béziers, the future D2 champions. It was a solid run, in my opinion.
In D1, it was a pivotal year after a 2022 season that didn’t end well for us in the postseason (7th place), despite finishing first in our regular-season pool, tied with Montpellier and La Rochelle. In 2023, Matthieu Brelle-Andrade returned as the team’s manager—the man who has won various trophies over the past 10 years, including the D1 championship in 2014, and the France Challenges in 2014, 2017, and 2019. Success eluded us by a narrow margin as we were stopped in the semifinals of the France Challenge in extra innings by Montigny, the eventual winners of the competition. The same went for the championship, where we missed out on the final after a hard-fought, extra-innings loss in a thrilling Game 5, once again against the Cougars.
BTVF: New year, new manager—how will you approach recruitment and the organization of the season?
We’re starting the 2024 season with a new manager, and of course, this season will be different from previous ones due to the new regulations concerning the JFL. However, our approach will remain the same as in past seasons. The general manager works with the coach to field the best possible team. To do this, we’ve relied for years on the many players trained at the club. We’ve been guiding them since they were young to help them reach the level needed to compete in Division 1. We also count on key players who are essential for stability and mentoring the younger players. We’re also on the lookout for recruitment opportunities among young players from the French national teams who might be interested in our sports project. We try to support them as best as possible in their personal sports projects abroad. Finally, as every year, we aim to round out our roster by recruiting players who compete outside of France and can bring real added value to our collective.
BTVF: What are your thoughts on the JFL regulations coming in 2024?
The federation has been discussing this topic for a few years, so we’re not surprised that this regulation will come into effect in 2024. This change should logically lead to a drop in the technical level of our championship, as club training won’t immediately compensate for the qualitative loss of foreign athletes in the short term. We understand this direction to promote the development of players from the national teams, but we believe this measure alone isn’t sufficient. D1 and D2 clubs need support, financial assistance to develop their training centers, and the professionalization of their staff to offer quality training.
BTVF: What are your thoughts on a single eight-team division?
In 2019, when Division 1 was split into two pools of six teams, we were not in favor. We knew this change would dilute the technical level of our top championship. We’ve seen it year after year when teams quickly dropped back down to D2 after difficult seasons. We’re therefore pleased with the return to a single eight-team D1, even if, of course, maintaining the highest level is more difficult for all teams competing in the championship. It’s also important for all first-division teams to face each other during the season. This allows us to gauge the true value of each roster. And it seems essential for the top championship in our sport, a key tool for promoting baseball in France.
BTVF: On the infrastructure front, what have you accomplished this year, and what do you have planned for 2024?
We want to continue improving and professionalizing the support for our locally trained players to better guide them to the highest level. Currently, we’re also working on improving our sports equipment by setting up a covered structure to offer optimal training conditions year-round.
BTVF: What can we wish you for 2024?
Twenty years ago, in 2004, we returned to the first division, finishing fifth in the D1 championship. Since then, we’ve always finished the regular season in the top four, allowing us to reach the semifinals 18 times in the last 19 years. For 2024, you can wish us the start of a new streak just like this one for the next 20 years.
