2025 Year in Review: WBSC Legacy Club delivering lasting impact through Baseball5

Since its launch on 6 April 2023, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Legacy Club has positioned sport as a vehicle for meaningful social change. Created to bridge cultural gaps and contribute to education, health, and social and economic development, the initiative has found its most powerful expression through Baseball5 and its work with displaced communities.

At the heart of that journey stands the Azraq Refugee Team – the first success story of the WBSC Legacy Club and a symbol of what can be achieved when access to sport meets opportunity.

“The Azraq Refugee Team inspired everyone watching, a true reminder of the unity and hope sport can create,” WBSC President Riccardo Fraccardi said while addressing delegates at the VI WBSC Congress in Bangkok, Thailand in October.

From legacy vision to real-world impact

The WBSC officially introduced the Legacy Club in 2023 on the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, underlining the organisation’s belief in sport’s power to bring people together, strengthen communities, and promote peace.

Through Baseball/Softball, the Legacy Club seeks to leave a lasting footprint that extends beyond competition – growing the sport while making it relevant in people’s daily lives, and creating a meaningful legacy for host communities, event organisers, and future generations with Baseball5 a key tool.

This mission is guided by core WBSC values: Team Spirit and Friendship, Integrity and Respect, Tradition and Innovation, Diversity and Unity, and Excellence and Fun.

Baseball5 and the Refugee Project

The Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan became the first setting for this vision to take shape. Coached by Amjad Alatoom, alongside assistant coach Reem Hadroos, the Azraq Refugee Team represented Syria at the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2026 as part of the WBSC Legacy Club’s Refugee Project.

Beyond competition, the programme has focused on participation, inclusion, and well-being. By 2025, more than 100 boys and girls were actively playing Baseball5 in Azraq, a milestone highlighted by President Fraccardi during the the third Hope and Dreams Festival, held from 30 April to 3 May.

“It’s really a touching experience because it’s not only about teaching them sport, but also about giving them hope for a better future,” he said.

That momentum carried into competition. In 2025, the Azraq Refugee Team stood out at the Kingdom's Ramadan Baseball5 Tournament at the Al Maher Foundation in Balila, north-western Jordan, claiming titles in the U-17 and U-11 categories and competing across multiple age groups. Their participation in the Hope and Dreams Festival at the Azraq and Za’atari refugee camps further reinforced Baseball5’s role in bringing young people together through sport.

Expanding the legacy to Kenya

The WBSC Legacy Club expanded its reach to Africa in August 2024, introducing Baseball5 to the Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement. The initiative was delivered in partnership with the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN), which supports displaced youth in completing secondary education as a pathway to higher education and employment.

By January 2025, both Kakuma and Kalobeyei had established teams of 30 players, with structured programmes offering three training sessions per week. The WBSC's support extended beyond the field, providing nutrition, education, and equipment, including balls and training materials. Partner schools contributed facilities for Saturday education sessions, while tailored learning programmes addressed varying levels of literacy and numeracy.

The project’s first-year report recorded 60 active Baseball5 athletes, girls and boys, competing across seven tournaments and friendly matches, as well as one national tournament. Coached by Denis Mitei, with support from Susan Nadai and Issa Rhamadhani, the programme generated strong local spectator interest and fostered cooperation across communities.

In November, the WBSC and AHEEN confirmed the renewal of their partnership, extending the Kenya project through to December 2026. Under the renewed agreement, the initiative is financed by the WBSC with the support of Olympic Solidarity and delivered in close collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, Kenya’s National Baseball and Softball Federations, and AHEEN, including the continued training and development of local coaches.

Partner support strengthens delivery

The impact of the WBSC Legacy Club has also been reinforced through partner contributions. WBSC partner Synergy Sports made a Development Donation in support of the Refugee Project and broader Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 development across Africa and Asia. The symbolic cheque was presented to the WBSC and WBSC Africa during the Congress in Bangkok by Synergy Sports Assistant Director for International Baseball and Softball, Hide Sueyoshi.