Efforts are being made to find a suitable European venue to showcase Major League Baseball

Football Writer

Thursday 18 October 2012

A REGULAR season Major League Baseball game could be played in the UK within the next few years, with Scotland a possible host.

Major League Baseball plan to schedule league matches in Europe after the success of taking them to Asia and South America. Picture: Getty

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Graeme Macpherson

MLB, the organisation that runs professional baseball in the United States and Canada, has previously taken competitive games to Japan, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and is now keen to expand the sport's global appeal by allowing a European city to host a game.

Logistical difficulties, such as travel, suitable stadia, and how to fit an overseas contest into a 162-game regular season schedule, have so far prevented MLB from following in the footsteps of the National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association – the other major professional American sports bodies who have all held games in the UK – but there is a growing clamour for it to happen, and possibly as early as 2014. The Olympic stadium in London has been mooted as a potential venue, while the Netherlands, Germany and Italy – countries where baseball is becoming increasingly popular – would also come into consideration. MLB officials have also not ruled out the prospect of bringing the likes of the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees to Scotland should a suitable arena be found. Jason Holowaty, manager of MLB's International Game Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa, told Herald Sport that bringing the game to Europe is high on the governing body's agenda. "MLB has run international games for many years now, mostly in Asia or Latin America," he said. "This season, in fact, opened in Toyko which was the fifth time they had done that in 14 years. Europe has always been a little bit trickier as it's traditionally lacked a venue where we could do it – a baseball field has particular dimensions and it's not as simple as just sticking it in the middle of a football field or a cricket pitch. "But there is definitely an enthusiasm to make it happen. Recently MLB went out and looked at the Olympic stadium [in London] and that looks like it could be a possibility. They've also looked at a new purpose-built facility in Amsterdam. If they had a suitable venue in Scotland then I don't see why that wouldn't be considered, too. That's the key to all of this. If they find the right venue, then I'd say it's something that could happen in the near future."One high-ranking official at a MLB club told Herald Sport there was increasing enthusiasm for bringing professional baseball to the UK. "We have played internationally before and MLB is committed to growing the game so it would be a great thing," he said. The NFL could certainly seem to agree, with the Minnesota Vikings scheduled to play six-time Super Bowl champions the Pittsburgh Steelers in London next year. The match is scheduled for September 29 and will followed by Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers on October 27.The NFL has played a regular-season game at Wembley in each of the last five years but this will be the first time that two games have been hosted in London in one season.

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Efforts are being made to find a suitable European venue to showcase Major League Baseball

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