A physio at Monklands Hospital is embarking on a home run all the way to France as part of the Great Britain baseball team at next week's women’s European Baseball Championships.
Fiona Brambley was born and raised in Toulouse until she was 19 and can’t wait to touch base with family and friends as she returns to the South of France for the tournament in Montpellier from August 3-6.
The 26-year-old will be taking on the role of team physio and has also been training with the squad, so if any of the team are injured or can’t play, she will be more than ready to take on that curveball and step up to the plate if required.
Fiona, from Glasgow, told Lanarkshire Live : "My family are British but I was born and raised in France.
"I got into baseball just after I finished school. The local baseball field in Toulouse were looking for volunteers ahead of the European Championships that were taking place then.
“I got to learn about the sport during the tournament but didn’t actually start playing baseball until 2019 when I saw someone in a shop in Glasgow with a baseball bat sticking out their bag and decided to give it a shot. That person is now a team-mate in Glasgow.”
Fiona now stars as the first female player for Glasgow Galaxy as part of the Glasgow Baseball Association in the Scottish league and is the only representative from north of the border in the Euro squad for France.
She said: “Although I’ll be going as team physio, I’ve been training as part of the squad and if any of the girls get injured or can’t play I’ll be ready to step in.
"Of course, I’ll be trying my best in my role as physio to help keep all the girls fit. I’m hoping they will all be fine but I’ll be ready if called upon.
“I never expected to get this opportunity. I was just enjoying the training sessions and then I was picked for the pre-travel team.
“The Scottish league is still fairly new and it’s a mixed league with very few girls. They made me very comfortable when I first joined and always help me with extra drills and training. They have encouraged me to improve every day so I have a lot to thank them for.
“I’ve only been playing for a few years but my game has developed and improved playing with the national team. I’ve learned so much from all my team-mates and coaches.
"It has been nice to play as part of an all-girls team. One of the girls has been playing for 20 years and the standard in training is so high."
Fiona added: "As well as training, I’ll be keeping an eye on the rest of the team, including making sure they are properly hydrated and assessing any niggles or injuries.
"It’s going to be busy and hard work but I’m really looking forward to it and it will be a great experience.
“I’m the only one involved from Scotland so there’s been a lot of travelling for a training session which have been once a month in Sheffield and London. It’s been totally worth it though.
"I also train with my club once a week and we have games most Sundays from April until October.”
There are four teams competing in the tournament that kicks off on August 3 - Great Britain, France, Czech Republic and Netherlands.
Fiona added: “We all play each other once and then the top two teams play again in the final. France are the current champions but are missing some of their main players. It will still be a tough challenge.
“The winner of this tournament will qualify for the World Championships which has been running since 2004. This is the first time Great Britain women’s team have competed.
"We hope to have a lot of family and friends supporting us and they get to spend some time in the south of France which is also appealing I’m sure.
“My mum Joanne and dad Edward have been in France for 30 plus years and they will be coming to the tournament, along with some of my school friends. It will be nice as I’ve not been home for a couple of years.
“My parents have visited me in Scotland but I would usually go home two or three times a year before the pandemic but because I have a hands-on job as a physio, I couldn’t go back when the quarantine rules were in place so that was tough. I can’t wait to go back now, though.
“I might even be able to spy on the French team and listen to what they are saying and get some tips.”
Fiona moved to Scotland in 2014, where she attended Glasgow Caledonian University, and then took up a role as physio at Monklands Hospital in 2018.
She said: “I really enjoy my role as physio at Monklands. Since I started I have been doing rotations so I am gaining experiences from a variety of inpatient and outpatient wards in different areas.
"I was also redeployed to ICU in September last year to provide extra support and assist the nurses.
“I’d love to inspire more Scottish female players to take up baseball. Anyone who wants to get involved in a fun team sport should come along to our training in Glasgow.
"We are all a fun bunch of guys. Some take it very seriously and others just do it for a laugh. We all really enjoy it, though.”
* Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
