As they prepare to leave for the German baseball championship, Baseball TV France wanted to meet two famous twins who shine in French baseball, following in their father’s footsteps, who himself worked in French baseball at the turn of the century. Conversations with the Esteban twins.
BTVF: Who are you, Maxence and Clément Esteban?
Hello BTVF and the entire editorial team, first of all thank you for all the work you do every day to promote baseball and softball as much as possible in France.
Regarding our sports introduction, we are two young French players aged 24 who started playing baseball at the beautiful club of Châtellerault (Poitou-Charentes).
We then had the chance to join the club of Pineuilh (Gironde) with whom we experienced exceptional events such as the French Cup or various tournaments like La Guerche, Pineuilh or even Gava (Spain).
Then, as small as an apple but determined to improve, we decided to join the Bordeaux hope pole as early as 4th grade. School of sport but above all school of life, it instilled in us very strong values and a strong work ethic.
Then, through hard work and dedication, here we are knocking on the door of the France Pole in Toulouse in September 2015. On the club side, we have gone through the Federal Team, the French Cubs of Chartres and the Cougars of Montigny over these 3 years.
After that, our sports-study path naturally led us to higher education, namely for each of us the pursuit of a Master’s degree, in Wealth Management for Maxence and in Applied Foreign Languages specializing in transport and logistics for Clément, with of course the Division 1 championship in parallel with Montigny and then La Rochelle.
BTVF: You represent a generation of players who have seen several types of competition in Division 1, how do you approach the top level in France?
Division 1, formerly known as « Elite, » has evolved a lot over the past 10 years and has gone from 8 teams to 11, then 10, and next season back to 8 teams, which for us will allow us to raise the level even higher in this division. Moreover, many clubs are following very good approaches to perform and continue to develop their club. To name just a few, Rouen, Metz, La Rochelle, Savigny, Montigny, etc…
BTVF: You have decided to take a turn in your career after playing at the highest level in France and to go do the same in Germany, how was this project born?
This project was born out of a simple desire to make baseball our full-time activity and to become the best version of ourselves in this sport we love so much. It’s as much a sporting experience as a life experience. We believe that in life you have to know how to take risks, go see elsewhere, make your own experiences in order to become even stronger in the future.
BTVF: Introduce us to the Berlin Flamingos Club and the German league?
The Berlin Flamingos Club has nearly 200 licensed players and competes in three senior categories (Bundesliga, N1, and Regional), one softball category, as well as teams in the 15U, 12U, and 9U categories.
The Flamingo Park is located in the northern part of the city and is close to several football fields.
Regarding the German league, it has the particularity of being geographically split into two parts. The South and the North (where we play), which consist of 7 and 6 teams respectively, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
BTVF: Baseball is developing faster in the countries surrounding us, what would be your recommendations to strengthen France?
We believe that France is showing a beautiful dynamic, especially within many clubs, and that the best is yet to come. But in order to allow for even stronger development, here are some levers that we believe should be continued or started:
- Baseball 5 offered in all schools in the country (Thanks among others to Elliot Fleys)
- Play 1 Division 1 match on Saturday evening and 1 match on Sunday morning as here in Germany
- Return to a D1 with 8 teams (it’s already in place and it’s a good thing)
- Highlight players trained locally (and it’s also a desire of the federation that should be commended)
- Require that at least 1 complete match be pitched by French pitchers every weekend
BTVF: What can we wish for you?
To perform individually and collectively, to help the team reach the playoffs, and to stay in good health.
