Pakistan Baseball Federation announces establishment of youth baseball academies across the country

Syed Fakhar Ali Shah, President Pakistan Federation Baseball, while talking to media said that baseball is becoming one of the most popular sports in Pakistan. Baseball is being played at school, college and university level in Pakistan. Pakistan’s youth teams of various age categories are regularly participating in international competitions, including U-12, U-15 and U-18 teams. In the Under-15 Asian Baseball Championship played in China last year, Pakistani players won individual awards in the presence of top Asian players. In which Pakistan’s catcher Syed Muhammad Shah won the Best Hitter award while Zeeshan Amin won the award for Best Outfielder and Best Home Run.
According to Syed Fakhar Shah, the federation had been working for the development of youth baseball in the country for the last ten years but the work of youth development has come to a standstill due to lack of baseball activities across the country due to corona virus. This year, Pakistan’s U-12 and U-18 teams have to participate in the Asian Baseball Championships and if these events are further delayed or postponed due to Corona, the youth baseball will suffer a lot. To avoid this loss, the federation will set up youth baseball academies in various cities to train young players under the supervision of qualified coaches to prepare them for the future.

Syed Fakhar Ali Shah said that new academies would be set up in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh as per the instructions of Federation’s Chairman Shaukat Javed. In this regard, baseball academies will be opened in Okara, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Jhang, Phool Nagar (Kasur), Quetta and Hyderabad within three months after Eid-ul-Adha and then more academies will be opened in other cities.

Fakhar Shah further said that housing societies should also provide sports facilities to their residents and if any society or anyone wants to start a baseball academy or allocate a place for baseball, the federation will provide coaches and baseball equipment for the academy.