"Play for 5": how Baseball-5 is becoming a student trend, and grant support is a driver of systemic change

The Reliable Change Charitable Foundation implements the "Play for 5" project. The initiative was made possible thanks to the support of the "Power of Sport" program of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation, as part of the "Sport for All" competition. The main goal of the project is to integrate and popularize baseball-5, a new Olympic discipline, into the student sports life of Moscow universities. 

Already at this stage, the "Play for 5" project boasts a well-established methodological base and trained coaches. This is a fundamental aspect for the successful implementation and subsequent development of such new sports fields in the university environment.

Baseball-5 is a modern, urban—adapted version of traditional baseball. The key advantage of the game lies in its accessibility: matches do not require expensive equipment or specially equipped playgrounds. Just a ball and any flat surface are enough. It is these characteristics that make Baseball-5 an ideal candidate for inclusion in university physical training programs, as it has a low barrier to entry, develops team spirit, and helps hone tactical skills and reactions.

The "Play for 5" project, initiated by the Reliable Change Charitable Foundation, successfully introduces baseball-5 into the educational environment, focusing on the involvement of a dynamic student audience, open to new formats and eager for active pastime. Within the framework of the project, sport becomes not just entertainment, but a powerful tool for socialization, developing teamwork skills and forming a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

The current stage of the project is marked by significant achievements. A solid methodological foundation has been created, represented by an interactive landing page and specialized manuals designed for both students and organizers of sports events. An important element of the educational component was the advanced training course "Modern Baseball-5" with a duration of 72 academic hours, developed in cooperation with the Center for Advanced Professional Training of the Kaliningrad region. The course has already attracted seven teachers from leading universities. The next training stream starts in April.

Since October 2025, face-to-face workshops and training sessions have been actively conducted at Moscow universities. This work continues, demonstrating a growing interest in the discipline. In addition, a successful online lesson was organized with the participation of representatives from various regions of Russia, as well as a master class at the Olympia All-Star Cup, which brought together 78 of the best young athletes from Russia and the Republic of Belarus.

Alexander Kopylov, a student at MTUCI, shared his impressions of the master class: "I've never heard of Baseball 5 before. I got acquainted with this game in an open lesson and I note that it hooked me. I would like to continue studying baseball-5, and it would be good if we opened such a section at the university." Students from RUDN University also supported the initiative to open a sports section at their university and expressed a desire to spread information about the game so that even more people could join the development of baseball-5.

To assess the understanding of the game nuances, a baseball case-5 competition was held. It was attended by 50 students from 30 Russian universities. For realistic simulation of game situations, a specialized digital CASE-IN Simulator tool was used, and the winners received gifts from the contest partners.

The information coverage of the project has already exceeded 20,000 people, mainly due to the active work on social networks of the Foundation and its partners.

Of particular value is the integration of the "Play for 5" project into key events of the Reliable Shift Foundation. This approach makes it possible to transform a one-time initiative into an integral part of a large-scale ecosystem. This is a strategic approach to ensure the long-term development and wide dissemination of the project.

Artem Korolev, Director of the Reliable Change Foundation, noted: "We are proud to support the development of baseball in Russia and have been promoting tournaments and events for years. Thanks to the support of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, we got the opportunity to promote this sport with renewed vigor. I am very pleased that after conducting open lessons and master classes in Moscow universities, the number of new fans of this sport has increased significantly. I am sure that it will continue to grow, because baseball is not just a game, but a school of team spirit and personal responsibility, where everyone can prove themselves and make a decisive contribution to the overall success."

The grant support of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation has had three key effects:

1. Creating a replicated methodology: the developed materials, landing page, advanced training course, case studies and lesson scenarios can be implemented without modification in any university or region of Russia.
2. Attracting strong partners: the project successfully cooperates with the Olimpiya Baseball Club, the Russian Baseball and Softball Federation, an online cinema, a company producing sports uniforms, etc.
3. Trust in the project: the grant from the Potanin Foundation serves as a quality mark, which is confirmed by the growing demand for teaching materials from universities outside Moscow.

These results are a direct proof of the relevance of the project and its readiness to scale.

One of the most important interim results was the expansion of target audiences:

• schoolchildren from among the participants of the Olympia Cup "All Stars";
• students and teachers of regional universities;
• requests from Moscow schools after publications about the project.

The Play for 5 project confidently goes beyond the scope of a local initiative, becoming a real interdepartmental and interregional bridge, uniting universities, schools, professional clubs and sports federations, creating a space for development.

Cooperation with the Center for Advanced Professional Training of the Kaliningrad Region has led to the creation of a professional development course accessible to all. 

During the development process, the project team faces natural challenges that require flexibility and rapid response. The inability to organize practical classes in some universities due to internal administrative barriers was quickly overcome. Taking into account the students' desire for active sports, the team expands the practical component, as well as adapts the work format, transferring some of the activities online. This increases the accessibility of the project to students from different regions and contributes to increased engagement. This flexible approach ensures the sustainable development of the initiative and its deep integration into the educational ecosystem. So, in April, a new series of open lessons on the Webinar platform will start as part of the remote qualifying stages of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship, which will allow hundreds of students from different cities of our country and neighboring countries to learn about the project. 

The project demonstrates a clear vector for development, both within the framework of the current grant and after its completion. Incoming requests from universities from other regions open up prospects for reaching the federal level. The logical next step would be to involve schoolchildren, whose graduates, by becoming "agents of influence" in their universities, will be able to contribute to the further spread of baseball-5.

The key task is to consolidate discipline in the curricula — the inclusion of baseball-5 as elective and optional courses in physical education. This will make classes regular and accessible to a wide range of students. The active development of the competitive component, including the holding of intramural and interuniversity tournaments, fuels the interest and involvement of young people.

There are still six months of active work ahead aimed at further development and scaling of the project.

Baseball-5 is transforming from an exotic discipline into an accessible, commanding, and intellectually rich sport that is winning the hearts of thousands of young people across the country. The key conclusion of the project is that modern university sports is not only about competitive spirit, but also about educational technology capable of forming new competencies and values.

The fact that baseball-5 is included in the program of the 2026 Olympic Youth Games in Dakar, as confirmed by Dmitry Kiselyov, President of the Russian Baseball and Softball Federation, opens up new horizons for the project in Russia.: "This means that Baseball-5 has every chance of becoming a truly popular game. The main thing is to support truly significant initiatives aimed at developing sports and improving the health of young people."

In this context, the support of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation acted not just as a source of funding, but as a real catalyst for systemic change. By November 2026, the "Play for 5" There is every chance to become a model for introducing new sports into the higher education system. Such a result would be a victory not only for baseball, but also for the entire philosophy of student sports development in Russia.