The origin of baseball in Odessa

Stanislav Bakan is considered to be a kind of godfather of baseball in Odessa region (South Ukraine). His priceless contribution to the development of this game was firstly seen in Illichivsk city, and in some time baseball became popular in Odesa.

Despite the public's skeptical attitude toward this American game, baseball teams were increasingly established one after another. The first team was formed in 1989 and consisted of fifteen former handball players. Young sportsmen with a great interest got to know useful information using Cuban textbook. Stanislav Bakan received it during the sports congress that took place Moscow. Thus Ukrainian athletes had an opportunity to learn the rules of the overseas game. In addition, they even started to learn English in order to understand the terminology of the game better.

Equipment for baseball players was sewn in local workshops, and beats were made on lathes. The first professional baseball equipment players have got by a lucky chance. Once, Japanese vessel stopped at one of the Odesa’s seaports. The crew turned out to be baseball fans. So, Japanese sailors played baseball while they were at the port, and leaving Odesa accidentally left equipment there. After that case, equipment was purchased centrally, ordering from abroad.

After a while, players from Odesa began to take part and placed in the championships of the USSR. And in 1993, the Odesa team "Illichivets" won the baseball Cup of Ukraine.

Soviet period of Odesa baseball ended in 1993. The revival of the game in Odesa fell on the 2000s. A youth team was founded in the city, which later became a member of the Ukrainian Baseball Federation. According to one of Odesa baseball coaches, Georgy Gus, three generations of baseball players have already grown in Odesa city.

Today baseball has been successfully developing in Odesa. Some baseball players even managed to become a part of the Ukrainian national baseball team. And as of baseball fields, first modern baseball field was built just in Illichivsk city, the city where Odesa baseball takes its origins.