It is another huge step for the development of Baseball in Germany. And it is kind of logical with the construction of the new baseball and softball stadium in Mainz and the youth concept of the local club Mainz Athletics in the last couple of years. The Rhein-Main Baseball Academy (RMBA) was founded as cooperation between the Athletics and the regional baseball and softball federations in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hessen. Other partners are the German Baseball and Softball Federation and the German Baseball Academy (Deutsche Baseball Akademie DBA). Major League Baseball supports the project as well.
The organizers are looking for players starting at the age of 13 years, which either can remain with their home clubs or join a boarding school. The program includes year around practices under the leadership of head coach Ulli Wermuth. The staff also includes Georg Bull, Manuel Moeller, an American coach and five more assistant coaches. Organizational leaders are Andreas Klages (former secretary general of the German Baseball and Softball Federation, deputy director German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB)), Janusz Radicke, Benjamin Hieronimi, Ken Höfel and Stefan Hoffmann.
The Rhein-Main Baseball Academy is going to use the brand-new facilities of the Mainz Athletics (opened in 2011), which feature a baseball and softball stadium with floodlights, a practice infield area, indoor batting cages and bullpen mounds and a gym. The RMBA is going to be the third Baseball academy in Germany besides Regensburg and Paderborn to have access to up to state of the art facilities and looks to find similar success.
For more information visit the official website of the Rhein-Main Baseball Academy