Baseball in Switzerland – Zurich residents want to make the fringe sport of baseball big – News

Switzerland took part in a European Baseball Championship for the first time this year. Zurich players want the sport to become better known in Switzerland and are calling for more infrastructure.

In the middle of the industrial district in Dübendorf, between a furniture store and a lamp shop, there is an inconspicuous building. Zurich players train inside Baseball City Hall when the season is over. Marco Limacher, player of the Challengers, one of Zurich’s big baseball clubs, says: “You can train well here in winter. We rarely have such infrastructure in Switzerland.”

The centerpiece is a ball machine in a room with a bar, tables and a large television screen. She imitates the pitcher and spikes balls towards the player. Depending on the setting, the balls fly towards the player at different speeds. A green net protects the people sitting next door at the bar.

The European Championships were a big step for Switzerland

With September, the baseball season also came to an end a few days ago. For Limacher and his colleagues from the Swiss national team it was special: Switzerland took part in a European Championship for the first time. A big step for a country where baseball is still a marginal sport.

The Swiss national team finished the European Championships in the Czech Republic in twelfth place. This meant she qualified directly for the next European Championships in two years. In the Czech Republic, Limacher and his team competed against professionals who had made careers in the USA. He noticed that they only cook with water, says Limacher. He hopes that the success of the Swiss national team will give sport here a boost: “We have had significantly more media presence this year,” he says happily.

Legend:

Carlos Nepomuceno has been playing for the Zurich Challengers for 15 years.

SRF/Mayra Schmidt

What is slowing the upswing, however, is the lack of infrastructure, says Limacher’s teammate Carlos Nepomuceno. He was born in the Dominican Republic. Baseball has a completely different status there than in Switzerland: “In the Dominican Republic, baseball is religion, it is the number 1 sport.” There is a baseball field on every corner.

Zurich as the baseball capital

In comparison, Switzerland lacks infrastructure and, above all, money for baseball. 31-year-old Nepomuceno says Zurich is exemplary: “In my opinion, Zurich is the center of baseball in Switzerland,” he says.

The national team’s training always takes place in Zurich. About 40 percent of baseball games are played there and it has the most baseball clubs. And the best baseball field is the one at the Heerenschürli sports facility in Schwamendingen.

Thanks to this field, the Zurich teams also made progress in terms of play, says Livio Bundi. The 22-year-old also took part in the European Championships and belongs to Zurich’s second big club, the Barracudas. He says: “Even compared to other European countries, baseball in Switzerland is not yet at a top level.” But he has improved significantly in recent years when it comes to the quality of the game.

Legend:

22-year-old Livio Bundi started playing baseball 15 years ago.

SRF/Mayra Schmidt

What appeals to him about sport is that it demands a lot mentally: “You really have to have something in your head and be able to think strategically.” Baseball is complex with its many rules. Bundi would like to see more attention for the future of baseball in Switzerland. That at some point not everyone reacts in surprise when he talks about his sport.