The re-elected members of the British Softball Federation Executive held a meeting in Manchester on Saturday, February 18, following the 2012 BSF AGM. Below are highlights of discussions and decisions.
Attendance
Present: Stella Ackrell (President), Mike Jennings (Treasurer),
Vicky Hall (General and Administrative Officer), Liz Graham and Lesley Morisetti (Tournaments Officers), James Reilly (Coaching and Development Officer), Mark Wigington (Marketing and Communications Officer), Chris Moon (BASU Representative).
Apologies: Julie Calver (Website Officer).
Guest: Bob Fromer (BSUK).
Approach from Belfast Softball League
The BSF has been approached by the small slowpitch league in Belfast enquiring about the costs of BSF membership.
For practical reasons, softball in Belfast has been looked after by Softball Ireland, but it is believed that two factors have prompted the enquiry: increased charges to teams this year by Softball Ireland and the possibility of Northern Irish players being eligible to play for GB teams.
Farnham Park development
On behalf of the GB Slowpitch Team, Manager Sara Vertigan has confirmed BSUK's view that the development of dedicated facilities at Farnham Park should include two softball pitches with fully-skinned infields, despite potential maintenance issues and costs. The GB fastpitch programme also shares this view.
Treasurer Mike Jennings told the Executive that he believes the BSF needs to make sure that the facilities at Farnham Park receive as much use as possible once they are ready for play, including use for tournaments (including the Diamond Series), National Championships, local league play, GB training and play and use by local school and community groups.
The BSF believes it is important that slowpitch is represented on the BSUK Facilities Steering Group (FSG) that oversees facility development. At the present time, both Bob Fromer and Colin Stone from the Windsor Knights are on the FSG.
GB Slowpitch Team tour to Holland
The GB Slowpitch Team will spend a long weekend in the Netherlands from May 25-28 to play exhibition games against Dutch teams in several locations in an effort to kickstart slowpitch in Holland. The tour has been organised by ESF President Andre van Overbeek with help from longtime slowpitch advocate Anton Kops.
Should Holland join the group of countries that take part in the European Slowpitch Championship and Cup, the future of the format in Europe will gain a major boost.
The BSF will provide substantial help to the GB Team with the costs of the trip. The ESF Development Commission has declined to provide similar financial help, but efforts will be made through the ESF to reduce the costs of food and accommodation for the GB Team in Holland.
Online registration
BSUK has designed new online registration forms for leagues and teams to use in affiliating to the BSF in 2012. Registration of all teams and players in BSF-affiliated leagues and all independent tournament teams is now mandatory, and these forms, which will be available shortly through the BSF website, should make the process easier.
Payment of affiliation fees will still be by cheque or BACS.
Development grant
The BSF Executive has given in-principle approval for a development grant application from the East Midlands Softball League to help run a two-day BASU Umpire Qualifying Course for 12-16 people.
However, before confirming the amount of the grant, the BSF wants more information on those attending and their commitment to becoming active umpires, if only within the EMSL, following the course.
A large percentage of development grant applications the BSF receives is for help with umpire training courses. The BSF is considering adding criteria to the development grant application form to make sure that leagues applying for funds are prepared to require umpires who take and pass BASU courses to umpire either in their local leagues and/or at national events as BASU members.
Involvement with USSSA
The BSF has been approached by one of the governing bodies for softball in the United States, USSSA, with an invitation for British teams – including the GB Slowpitch Team – to participate in USSSA events.
However, both the BSF and the European Softball Federation have a long-standing relationship with the principal governing body in the United States, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), and would not want to jeopardise that fruitful relationship by becoming officially involved with USSSA.
This means that GB national teams will not be allowed to enter USSSA events in the United States.
The BSF would not stop league or independent teams that wanted to do so, but they would not be able to represent British softball or the BSF.
The BSF Executive has also stressed that any British club team that wants to travel abroad for competition must notify the BSF in advance of the trip.
Minimum age for players in adult teams
A recent query to the BSF about the use of young players in a new adult slowpitch team has led the Executive to re-examine the current rules governing this issue.
According to the Welfare Policy adopted by both the BSF and the BBF and administered by BSUK, 14 is the minimum age at which a young person can play in an adult team, whether baseball, fastpitch or slowpitch.
Players under the age of 18 can only play in adult teams with permission from a parent or guardian and after a risk assessment has been carried out, including the ability of that particular young player to cope with the relevant standard of play. Young players in slowpitch teams must wear helmets at bat and on the bases and a catcher's mask if catching.
The BSF would also like BASU umpires to have the discretion to remove a young player from a game if the umpire thinks the player may be in danger.
Bulgarian tournament
The BSF has received an invitation for British teams to take part in a Bulgarian Open Championship tournament to be played, probably in Dupnitsa, on the weekend of April 21-22.
The GB Slowpitch Development Team might have been interested, but that weekend is being used for GB Slowpitch trials.
There is a possibility that the ESF will hold a Slowpitch Umpire Course in Bulgaria in the days preceding the tournament and use the competition to assess trainees, and a clinic for players and coaches may also be held in conjunction with the event.
Any interested British teams should contact Bulgarian Softball Federation President .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). The tournament entry fee will be 10 euros, entries have already been received from Serbia, Turkey, Slovenia and Bulgaria, and there will be a BBQ and music at the field on Saturday night.
GB Women raffle
The GB Women's Team, which needs to raise money to compete in ISF World Championships this summer in Canada, will soon be launching a major raffle after receiving permission from the BSF Executive.
The main prize, which is being underwritten by a private donor, will be a vacation for four in Orlando, Florida, including flights, accommodation and tickets to Disney and other local attractions.
The Women's Team hopes that players throughout the British softball community will be willing to sell the raffle tickets, since for every £5 ticket sold, £1.25 will be retained by the seller, £1.25 will go to the seller's team or league and £2.50 will come back to the GB Women.
Tickets will be available shortly – and, from March, will be able to be purchased through a special button on the Home Page of the BSF website.
Coaching offer
The BSF Executive will shortly extend a coaching offer announced at the BSF AGM to selected B-grade and C-grade teams, including those who are potential members of an NSL2 competition.
The idea is that a GB Slowpitch-nominated coach will work with each selected team for half a day before the season and will spend half a day advising the team on game management decisions at a tournament early in the season.
Slowpitch coaching tour
Following the success of the tour carried out by the American Combat coaches last May, the BSF is keen to bring more elite slowpitch coaches to the UK this year, with support from BSUK.
One way in which this might be done is through “twinning” arrangements being set up between American Amateur Softball Association (ASA) state organisations and European countries, part of a development agreement between the ASA and the European Softball Federation.
If a coaches' tour materialises this year, delivery will be in conjunction with BSUK regional coaches, to ensure that their skills are promoted to the softball community.
Roles on the BSF Executive
Following agreement by members at the AGM to a proposal giving the BSF year-on-year flexibility to re-define roles on the BSF Executive (apart from the positions of President, Treasurer and General Secretary), the Executive will consider what roles are currently appropriate at future meetings.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the BSF Executive will be a conference call on Thursday evening, March 8.
Anyone who has matters to bring to the Executive should email Administrative Officer .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).