By Play Global!
Coach Anthony Bennett’s home for the next two months will be in East London, South Africa. He’s representing Play Global and leading our Eastern Cape Baseball Initiative. Through this project, Coach Bennett will introduce baseball to kids at four schools in the region. He will also train local coaches and start an ongoing Saturday baseball league. The goal is to get more kids playing baseball in South Africa, while training the new coaches to be positive leaders who carry the program forward.
Our partners at the South African Baseball Union identified the Eastern Cape as an area that has had little experience with baseball, one where the sport can make a great impact.
“When I was in the area a few years back,” says Play Global’s Tom Gillespie, “the enthusiasm amongst the players and teachers stuck with me. I believe they will take the sport and run with it – not because they are die-hard baseball people, but because they appreciate the lessons and opportunities provided by the sport.”
Currently living and coaching in Indonesia, Coach Bennett has a wealth of international experience. He is the bench coach for the Australian National Baseball Team, and has coached in the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, among others. He also played professionally in Japan, the Czech Republic, and the US Independent League.
The Eastern Cape Baseball Initiative is funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department and by supporters like you.