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No Foreigners Allowed: Vietnam’s Baseball Club Championship to Feature Only Local Talent

The VBSF held an exciting announcement on Thursday, revealing the details of a national baseball club championship which will feature only players from Vietnam. A draw was also conducted to determine the tournament matchups.

Administrator

29 July, 2023

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This annual professional tournament aims to promote the sport of baseball and provide opportunities for national and local teams to discover and develop talented players. The 2023 edition, scheduled to take place in Hanoi from July 26 to 30, will feature several significant changes compared to the previous year’s event. The organizer has increased the number of participating clubs to 11, up from eight in 2022. Additionally, the championship will be exclusively for Vietnamese players, as international players will not be allowed to compete.

During a press briefing, VBSF chairman Tran Duc Phan acknowledged that baseball is a lesser-known sport in Vietnam. He explained that the decision to exclude international players aims to give domestic players an opportunity to showcase their skills and compete at a higher level. While these changes may impact the overall appeal and the level of play, the chairman believes they will help Vietnamese players grow and improve.

The VBSF plans to organize a separate competition for international baseball players in the future, once the expertise of Vietnamese players has advanced. This would allow clubs to sign both domestic and international players and create more competitive opportunities. However, the federation faces challenges in expanding baseball in Vietnam, including a lack of suitable land for baseball fields and a limited number of coaches and referees. To overcome these obstacles, the VBSF has sought assistance from referee teams in South Korea and Japan and received significant support from these countries.