Sylvain Virey

Sylvain Virey played in the Division Elite in the 1990s. He managed the Rouen Huskies in 2001, then guided the French junior national team from 2002-2006. He coached for the French national team in the 2007 European Championship and managed them in the 2010 European Championship.

As of 2009, Sylvain is a coordinator and a coach at the Pole France in Rouen (one of the two national training academies). He has dedicated the latter part of his career to the development of new players in the French system. He was responsible for the baseball program at a high school in Les Andelys, France, before moving the the Rouen academy in 1998. Coach Virey has been part of the French national system since that time, either with the Cadet or the U21 teams.

In April 2009, Sylvain was named the new manager of the French senior national team. His goal for the team is to become European Champions (It is clear for him: "the only goal I have today is to be champion of Europe!” he explains in a recent article . To accomplish this, he is working closely with all the Division Elite coaches and with the staff at both his academy in Rouen and the academy in Toulouse to identify the best players in the country. By the end of 2009, he hopes to have a list of 35 players deemed to be the best in the country, who will form the next Team France. His staff will pay particular attention to those on his list, so that they may receive the necessary development opportunities. For future player development, he also hopes to set up a fall program, winter baseball clinics and a springtime training camp.

sources include:

• Baseball academies
• Baseball-France interview