The BSF Executive held its second conference call meeting of 2015 on the evening of Thursday 12 February. Below is a journalistic summary of discussions and decisions.
Attendance
Present: Stella Ackrell (President), Darren Prouty (Administrator), Mike Jennings (Treasurer), Fiona Thorley and Liz Graham (Tournaments Officers), Mark Munnery (General Officer), Chris Moon (BASU Representative), Beth Perkins (National Teams Officer), Claire Waldron (Youth & Schools Officer).
Guest: Jenny Fromer (BSUK).
BSF AGM
The meeting opened with a discussion about final preparations for the BSF AGM that will be held on Saturday 28 February at St Thomas United Reformed Church, 68 Langley Road, Watford, Herts WD17 4PN, beginning at 11:00am.
A number of logistical matters are still to be resolved, including outstanding Officer and National Team reports, the purchasing of awards and identifying a minute-taker for the meeting. The most pressing issue is the need to fill a number of remaining vacant Officer roles on the BSF Executive. Among these the positions of Administrator and Tournaments Officer are integral to the smooth-running of BSF operations.
Finance
As part of the close-out of 2014, BSF Treasurer Mike Jennings had previously circulated the company’s formal accounts and these will now be added to the BSF website for public reference. Mike had also prepared the draft 2015 Budget which was discussed and finalised on the call and can now be included in the AGM Pack.
National Softball League
Tournaments Officer Liz Graham confirmed that for 2015 there will be 14 NSL teams, including three new teams. Five events have been identified as NSL tournaments and the three Diamond Series tournaments plus the BSUK/MLB will spaces for all NSL teams. However, the BA Tournament will only have spaces for 12. All 2015 NSL events are based in the South of England once again, but Liz made the point that when BSUK's Northern facility is opened, this would be the catalyst for including a Northern NSL event.
Website and Webstreaming
The meeting confirmed a number of updates and changes to the BSF website to be made by BSUK in the coming weeks. These include:
Updating the Registration Page. This is connected to the BSF’s drive to require its members to register and as such this will now be a prominent feature on the website. As well as the need for a National Governing Body to be able to count and communicate with its members, a significant registration drive will increase the commercial value of the website and potentially bring more revenue into the sport.
National Championship section. The ‘Tournaments’ tab will be turned into a ‘National Championship’ tab on the website. To date, the BSF has maintained a separate Nationals website. While this will remain the case for the immediate future, there is a recognition that this needs to be brought into the NGB site and therefore be more visible to more members.
BSF Social Media. BSF’s twitter and Facebook presence are to be boosted by replacing the scrolling league tables with current feeds.
Softball Video. A recent promotional video commissioned by the BSF will be linked to the site.
Jenny Fromer (BSUK) reported that BSUK had identified its planned 2015 webstreaming projects and that these will be the London Cup International Women's Fastpitch Tournament on 6-7 June and the baseball Little League Qualifier on 21-22 June. Jenny extended an invitation for BSUK to organise further coverage, such as at the combined Co-Ed Nationals, if the BSF is able to cover the cost. This will be considered by the Executive Board.
BSUK Committees
The BSF sends representatives to the various BSUK Board subcommittees, and reports from those meetings are reviewed at BSF Executive meetings.
Mike Jennings gave a short report on the BSUK Finance Committee, which he chairs. As the Minutes were yet to be circulated he simply gave a brief overview of the end-of-year forecast for BSUK.
Mark Munnery reported on both the Development Strategy Committee and the Commercial Committee, as he sits on both and attends them back-to-back. The DSC meeting was dedicated to planning and brainstorming for the launch of BSUK’s new development programme, Hit the Pitch. The Commercial Committee dealt with finalising the BSF ball deal, considering the merchandise arrangements in place and reviewing website metrics.
Fiona Thorley reported on the January Farnham Park Committee meeting. The meeting was used to set the calendar of use for the two Federations. Discussion of the Phase II plans for Farnham Park were progressed. Jenny was able to confirm that works will start between April and June and this will mean that two pitches will be out of use from the start date of works.
Fiona told the meeting that as she is stepping down from the BSF, she would suggest that a new representative is found for the Farnham Park Committee. Jenny made the point that this person would not necessarily need to come from the BSF Board.
BSF Development Grants
The BSF considered two development grant applications. The first, from the newly-formed Sefton Sharks for the purchase of equipment, was approved. The second, from the Solent League to run a Level 1 Coaching Course, was held over for further information.
ESF Congress
Stella Ackrell and Mike Jennings were in attendance at the ESF Congress in Dublin on 6-8 February. Mike gave a few highlights from the weekend as follows:
- Draws for European competitions were carried out, with an unfavourable outcome for GB. The BSF have long made the point that the ESF is using a flawed system.
- There was a presentation on possible European funding for youth and sport that may be of value to British clubs in 2016. More details to follow.
- There was a presentation from theWorld Baseball Softball Confederation and a number of commissions and taskforces have been established. Mike Jennings has been appointed to two of these groups.
A full report is available on the BSUK website.