On the 10th, Nippon-Ham announced that The Fighters Baseball Academy will open a school called "FIRST STEP supported by Kokajigumi" aimed at players with no baseball experience or beginners.

The course is aimed at beginners and those with no baseball experience, from kindergarteners to second-graders, and will include one lesson for parents and three school sessions. The fee is 2,000 yen including tax, and upon completion of the course participants will receive a Nippon-Ham cap and a glove engraved with the 2014 team slogan, "DOMI!" Applications can be made on the team's website, and the school will begin in April 2014.

Kensuke Tanaka (44), special advisor to the team, who sent a video message to the press conference online, said, "We want to create an environment where someone can give solid advice to parents, rather than parents proceeding without understanding," and will place importance on supporting not only the children but also their parents.

Academy coach Kazuya Murata (40), who played for Nippon-Ham until 2015, expressed his hope for an increase in the number of baseball players, which has been declining since around 2010, saying, "I just want kids who love baseball to participate. So that everyone can be a main character. We don't want to limit the potential of children."