A baseball match is held at the Guali town baseball and softball sports center. [Photo by Shen Lei/zjol.com.cn]

The signing ceremony for the Chinese women's baseball team training base was held in Guali town, Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou on June 25, local media outlets reported.

After more than 100 years of development, baseball and softball are now the third most popular sport in the world, accounting for 12 percent of the world's sports industry.

Though baseball and softball are included as part of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, the sports are still relatively niche among Chinese people, and only very few standard stadiums are located in Hangzhou. Members of the national women's baseball team had to go to travel to nearby cities to ensure regular training.

The signing ceremony for the Chinese women's baseball team training base is held in Guali town, Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou on June 25. [Photo by Shen Lei/zjol.com.cn]

The new training base, which will take advantage of the recently-completed Guali town baseball and softball sports center, will both meet the diversified needs of large-scale sporting events and strive to benefit the general public after the games.

"I hope that the training base will bring out the characteristics of women's sports and advance the development of women's baseball," said an official from the China Baseball Association.

"The baseball and softball center in Guali is a reflection of the town government's efforts to provide the public with accessible and affordable recreational and sporting opportunities," said an official from Guali.