FIBSA January update

FIBSA January update
22/02/2021
An update on the activities undertaken by the Fiji Islands Baseball and Softball Association (FIBSA) in January 2021.

Community Baseball / Softball programs 

The month of January focused on community-based programs, which generated a lot of interest during the school holidays. Mobile daily clinics were conducted every day for two hours in each participating community, with three clinics each day. Children have taken up baseball as a pastime during the school break before school started again in late January.

A total of 115 children were actively involved, with boys and girls ranging from 8 to 13 years of age having been registered in the FIBSA database.

FIBSA hope to begin the community Saturday program at the end of February after the senior Fiji team squad list is finalised in February. 

2022 Saipan Mini Games preparation 

The Senior Men’s National Baseball team started its self-registration for all baseball players in Fiji that are interested to be a part of the national squad to compete at the Pacific Mini Games in Saipan in 2022. Fiji has a good mix of experienced and young players who have gone through the U15 program and other baseball development programs since 2012. Players who registered ranged in age from 15 to 40 years old.

For the first three months of 2021 - January to March - players will be given the opportunity to try out for the squad. There will be trials and fitness test at the end of every month but the main criteria is punctuality, discipline and work ethic, which will be recorded at every team training and matches. FIBSA will keep tabs on players' fitness levels and collate the information in their records so that when the final trials are held, they can accurately gauge each player’s individual progress. The monthly trials will also contribute to the final selection of the national team later in the year. The trials consist of: 1. 50 meter sprints; 2. home-to-home sprints; 3. long throw; 4. three mile run; 5. match play.

There are forty players in the squad, which will be cut to a final list of 20 players.