On Saturday, April 21, Wroclaw will open their new baseball/softball sports complex which will be the home of the local Polish Baseball and Softball League team, the Wroclaw Barons. The opening ceremony will start at 11am at the Wrocławska Arena Sportu on ul. Niepodległości 6 and visitors will be able to play baseball and softball and watch a scrimmage between Wroclaw Barons and the Polish baseball champion – Silesia Rybnik. Other attractions will include baseball and softball stations for children and adults, and a newly built playground right next to the field. The event will also feature the performance of a Wrocław rap star.
The new stadium, funded by the city after the local community approved the initiative, will be a resource for Wroclaw and the region. The first baseball and softball field built in a large, Polish city will not only host games for the Polish league and for European qualifying tournaments, but will also be used by youth from Wroclaw schools to learn the skills of playing baseball and softball. Recently, the Wrocław Barons team has implemented a baseball and softball program in Wrocław public schools and this new stadium will allow these young learners to practice these skills on a professional field while also increasing the physical activity among children, adolescents and adults. The field is open to the public and every fan of this American sport can hone their skills there.
The Embassy is proud to be a partner of this event as part of its new initiative – Sports UP – whose aim is to strengthen ties between the United States and Poland through the promotion of American sports. Sports are a wonderful way to build relationships between young people, and create opportunities for dialogue while teaching values such as leadership skills, team work, responsibility, integration and tolerance.
