Israel Baseball has taken one step closer to building its own baseball facility in Bet ‎Shemesh. On Friday May 16, Bet Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul came out to Kibbutz ‎Gezer to watch the Cadets game between the Bet Shemesh Comets and the Rehovot ‎Raptors and also to throw out the first ball. The mayor accepted an invitation from the ‎IAB to attend a game, see how the field is used and to experience the enthusiasm and ‎enjoyment of the players and their families. ‎

The City of Bet Shemesh is offering the IAB the opportunity to build a baseball facility in a ‎prime location in Bet Shemesh and is currently rezoning the area for sports recreation. ‎Currently, there are about 250 youth playing baseball in Bet Shemesh, the largest center ‎of baseball in the country. With the active assistance of Mayor Abutbul, the IAB and JNF ‎have joined forces to fundraise and build the complex. ‎

During a chat with the players, their coaches and members of the IAB, Mayor Abutbul ‎said that the Bet Shemesh municipality wants to offer facilities for the various groups in ‎the city to use for sports and other leisure activities, and building a baseball facility is one ‎way to achieve this goal. The IAB also presented the mayor with his own personalized ‎Israel Baseball sweatshirt and an Israel baseball hat.‎

‎"We look forward to seriously expanding our baseball program in Bet Shemesh from the ‎‎250 players today to over 1,000 once the field is built next year," noted IAB President ‎Peter Kurz. "As the saying goes, 'if we build it, they will come'. With the generous support ‎of the Bet Shemesh Mayor, we will be able to make this facility a reality and include ‎many more players from all over Bet Shemesh in baseball activities."‎