Baseball on rising curve in Nelson
The next generation of New Zealand’s young baseball players are in Nelson this week.
Eleven teams from around the country are competing from April 7-11 in the Baseball New Zealand under-13 nationals, bringing about 400 players and supporters to the Saxton Ballpark.
For hosts Nelson Heat, it’s the first national tournament they have hosted since forming five years ago – and at a national level is a signal of the growth of the game outside its traditional stronghold in Auckland.
Baseball New Zealand chief executive John Fellet said over the past few years new clubs had been springing up around the country – with the establishment of the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League playing a big part.
‘‘ I think the Tuatara have a lot to do with that – just with people seeing local baseball being played every week. Now we have 20 clubs, and half of them are outside of Auckland.’’
Along with the 11 Auckland clubs, there were four in Wellington, four in Christchurch, and one in Nelson, with the possibility of new clubs in Dunedin and Palmerston North in 2022.
Fellet said he had also been hugely impressed by the facilities at Saxton Field and the way the tournament had been organised by the Nelson Heat club.
‘‘It’s just an amazing location, there’s not another youth facility for baseball like it in NZ – where you have three fields back-to-back.’’
For the Nelson Heat, hosting a national tournament marks a significant milestone – with the club having grown in leaps and bounds since being formed by Marty Grant and Rachel Knowles in 2016.
Grant said it was a great opportunity for young Nelson players to compete in a high-level competition in their own backyard, as well as providing a showcase for locals to check the sport out.
‘‘It’s a special feeling. We’re the hometown team, and it gives these kids an advantage to know they can play in front of their families and friends.’’