The BSF Executive held its latest monthly videoconference meeting on the evening of Thursday 7 April. Below is a summary of discussions and decisions.
Attendance
Present: Ieuan Gale (President), Laura Burkhardt (Treasurer), Liz Graham (Competitions and Membership Officer), Pete Saunders (Technical Officer), Simon Mortimer (Marketing and Communications Officer), Mike Lott (Coaching Officer), Mike Jennings (General Officer), Bob Fromer (Administrator).
Apologies: None.
Financial matters
Approval of accounts. The BSF Executive voted unanimously to approve the Financial Statements submitted for audit for the year ending 30 September 2021. BSF Treasurer Laura Burkhardt noted that two small changes remain to be made to the Statements, neither of which affect the figures.
National Team budget reviews. The BSF agreed to asked Gary Anderson, as GB Management Committee Interim Chair, to send a message to Team Operations Managers for all national teams that are touring this year to ask them to submit tour budgets for review by GBMC Treasurer Lars Looijen. That message has now been sent, along with budget templates for Team Operations Managers to use.
Money to support the Sweden Series. The Executive has decided to make £750 available, from a budget line that helps national teams attend unofficial tournaments for training purposes, to support the Sweden Series taking place at Farnham Park on 28-29 May. On that weekend, the Swedish National Men’s Fastpitch Team will play a series of games against the GB Senior and Under-23 Men’s Teams.
National Team reporters. BSF Administrator Bob Fromer told the Executive that people have now been found to provide daily reports on all GB National Teams playing in Softball Europe Championships this summer – either remotely or by attending the tournament.
Registration
BSF Competitions and Membership Officer Liz Graham reported that all but three NSL teams have registered for the coming season and leagues are also starting to send in registrations and fees. With the deadline still eight weeks away, registration seems to be going well.
Award presentations
Presentation of trophies to the winners of BSF Annual Awards and to BSF and Softball Europe Hall of Fame inductees, whose names were announced at the BSF’s remote AGM in February, will be made at various tournaments across the season by members of the BSF Executive, and the meeting approved a list of tournaments where this will happen and the Executive members who will make the awards.
In the case of the three inductees to the Softball Europe Hall of Fame – Brett Gibbens, Stephanie Jardine and Chris Moon – the trophies will be presented on Saturday evening 21 May at Farnham Park, during the first NSL weekend, by WBSC Europe Softball Commission President Gabriel Waage, making his first visit to the UK.
International issues
Mike Jennings told the Executive that there had been no further meetings of the WBSC Slowpitch Working Group, and that the Group was still awaiting consideration by the WBSC Board of its recommendations for a Slowpitch World Cup in 2023.
BASU
BSF Technical Officer Pete Saunders reported that several online BASU umpire courses run for leagues are coming to an end and the format has been well received, with some feedback even suggesting that the courses have been “fun”!
Tweaks will be made and new material added to the course for next year, but it certainly looks like this method of umpire training has been successful.
Next meeting
The next monthly videoconference meeting of the BSF Executive will take place on the evening of Thursday 12 May.
Anyone from the Executive or the softball community who has a topic to bring to the meeting should contact BSF Administrator Bob Fromer.