Interview with the President of the baseball team the « Blue Roosters » Grégory Penfornis
BTVF : Can you introduce us to the Blue Roosters team?
The Blue Roosters is an association under the 1901 law that brings together baseball and softball players who compete within federal clubs in France and whose particularity is that they are all from law enforcement (national police, gendarmerie, municipal police). They can be active, reservists, contractors or retirees from these corporations. They all have the status of active members. We are considering integrating customs and prison officers during our next annual general meeting. The idea of occasionally bringing together members of the forces of law and order is not new. In 2016, when I was myself on duty in the Paris region, I already wanted to introduce baseball and softball to my Parisian colleagues. Lack of time and resources prevented the project from coming to fruition.
I then became, in my private capacity, a member of an association promoting exchanges between French police officers and New York police officers. I was able to make about ten trips to New York where I had the opportunity to meet the manager of the NYPD (New York Police) baseball team. I therefore drew inspiration from their way of conceiving corporate baseball in order to transpose it here.
Our goals are:
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Promote the practice of baseball and softball among law enforcement to make this sport, which is accessible to all, even better known. We aim to have baseball and softball recognized by the sports federations of the police and gendarmerie. This is already happening within certain gendarmerie companies (Dijon, Satory) and we have started discussions with the sports federation of the national police. We already have results because two colleagues passionate about baseball but who had not yet been able to practice contacted us and we guided them so that they could find a club near their home. At 30 and 40 years old, these two colleagues will sign their first license this month within federal clubs in northern France and in the Paris region. This is one of our main objectives: to put our colleagues in touch with federal clubs.
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Bring together members of the forces of law and order under the same jersey and participate in friendly matches or tournaments as an invited team. We do not wish to join a championship for the moment because our professional constraints would not allow it. But we would be delighted to meet the players and players of the federal clubs.
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Through our gatherings, participate in charitable and/or educational events with local associations.
BTVF : Do you have the ambition to become the French Police team and participate in the World Games, where are you with these projects?
Yes, we have this ambition. To date, there is no team in France, and perhaps even in Europe, bringing together the forces of law and order under the same jersey.
The idea of participating in the World Police/Fire Games was suggested to me by the manager of the Finest of the NYPD when he found out that I wanted to set up this project. It’s a big challenge. The WPFG brings together police officers, firefighters, rescue service agents from all over the world every two years around 60 sports. After an absence during the last games, baseball and softball will make their comeback at the next games which will take place in July 2025 in Alabama.
Our participation in these games will obviously depend on the financial resources we manage to raise to register a team either in baseball or in softball.
We also have the ambition to go to the USA, when possible, to participate in tournaments as an invited team.
BTVF : You are organizing a friendly match against the Hawks of Rennes, can you tell us about it?
Our first gathering will take place at the Hawks stadium between October 3 and 6, 2024. We would have liked to organize it earlier but we were all professionally constrained because of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I myself have been a member of the Hawks for over 4 years. I play for the club as a coach of the 15U team in particular.
I have also had the opportunity to work on several international projects of the club (trip to the USA, tournament in Germany). Our status provides that during our gatherings we enter into a partnership with a club so that it hosts us on its facilities and provides us with the equipment we need to practice.
We therefore conclude our gathering with an exhibition match that will pit our very young team against a senior team of the Hawks. It will be on Saturday, October 5 at the Hawks stadium.
I would also like to warmly thank the president of the Hawks and the entire staff who have encouraged and supported us in this association creation process.
BTVF : This match has a charitable purpose, what is it?
Indeed, as I was telling you, I draw inspiration from what our American friends do in parallel with their sporting activities. They help sports and educational associations from various New York communities. It was important for me to include this component in our associative activity as well. The association we have decided to support for this first gathering is: « Fight for life 35, all for Bastien ».
Bastien is a 10-year-old boy suffering from a rare degenerative disease (Duchenne) that handicaps him a little more each day. His parents, originally from the Saint-Malo area, regularly need funds to improve Bastien’s living environment.
In agreement with the Hawks, the proceeds from the sale of drinks and food during the match on October 5 will be donated to this association. There will also be a sale of some unusual items including a baseball shirt from the NYPD Finest team.
BTVF : What can we wish you?
You can wish us perfect success for this first gathering and for all future projects. I am particularly well surrounded in this somewhat crazy adventure. All the members are very involved and motivated to further develop the practice of baseball and softball. I would also like to thank our support members (members not from the forces of law and order or from the forces of law and order but non-practitioners of baseball) who, through their membership, simply wish to support our associative project.
