Franck Lecarpentier

BTVF: Who is Franck Lecarpentier?

F.L.: Licensed since 1996, I’ve had a great career in bat sports, with a passion for softball as a player and for baseball as an official/manager.
I am a national umpire, technical commissioner, former member of many federal commissions, present in the league since 1998 with a brief interruption to spend time watching my son grow up.
Lately, I’ve been more of a co-recruiter and logistician for Montigny’s Division 1 team, while also serving on the Federal Sports Commission and the Federal Youth Commission

BTVF: You’ve just stepped down as president of the Montigny Cougars club, having navigated the challenging Covid period. How did your presidency go?

F.L.: Presiding over Montigny has been a thrilling experience, despite the challenges. We launched many projects with my team (second field, baseball academy, bar renovation, etc.) and received numerous requests (local press, city hall, local authority). It’s a true challenge for a passionate person, and it was a real honor to lead the club for these three years.
However, I needed to refocus on the professional aspects and regain some bandwidth, so I remain on the board to assist Arnaud and his team, but I’m no longer involved as much as before.

BTVF: You’re involved with the Division 1 team. How did you experience the last season, where the team finished fifth, with a France Challenge semifinal in 2019?

F.L.: We missed the playoffs by one game and one point too many against Savigny. We faced many setbacks in bringing in reinforcements, while others were luckier. With the full team, we barely lost any games. It’s frustrating not to make the top 4 when we had the group to achieve something, but that’s what drives us to push further.
There’s a real challenge in going after Rouen and knocking them out. We need to give ourselves the means to do it, as Savigny is also strengthening their team.

BTVF: The Division 1 format changes frequently from year to year regarding the number of teams engaged and those in the playoffs. As a member of the sports commission, do you have an ideal formula in mind?

F.L.: Having been at the helm of the sports commission for a few years, there is no ideal formula. You’ll always have someone explaining things from their point of view, which is normal.
My view is that Division 1 and Division 2 should be competitive divisions.
For Division 1, this means reducing the number of teams. The project to reduce to 12 was a mistake, and we’ve seen everything I announced at the club meeting.
For Division 2, it means reducing the number of teams and stopping the « super-regional » approach, as it doesn’t prepare teams for Division 1.
I find the analyses made, before my recent return to the sports commission, quite pertinent and fair, which is why I offered my help in managing it.

BTVF: Given your experience, what do you think needs to be done for baseball in France to continue developing?

F.L.: We need to stop financially suffocating the clubs. We have one of the most expensive collective sports federation licenses in France.
Some have boasted about putting the federation back on track by absorbing the debt, but they forgot that the debt was repaid by the clubs with drastic increases in federation licenses.
To give you an idea, when Montigny buys its equipment, registers for championships in various categories, and pays its licenses, we’ve spent around €25,000 without even starting to play…

Beyond that, we need to continue supporting clubs in truly structural projects around schools, as these interventions help perpetuate jobs, democratize our sport through BB5, and consequently improve our club structures and expand our base of licensed players.