The BSF Executive held its monthly conference call meeting on the evening of Thursday, March 14. Below are highlights of discussions and decisions.
Attendance
Present: Mike Jennings (Treasurer), Beth Perkins 
(National Teams Officer), Liz Graham (Tournaments Officer), Claire Waldron (Youth & Schools Officer), Chris Moon (BASU Representative).
Apologies: Stella Ackrell (President), Vicky Hall (Administrator), Fiona Thorley (Tournaments Officer), Mark Wigington (Marketing & Communications Officer), Mark Munnery (General Officer).
Guest: Bob Fromer (BSUK).
Action Points arising from February 23 Meeting
ASA coaching tour: Mike Jennings and Bob Fromer have put together two potential schedules for two ASA slowpitch coaches who will be coming to the UK this summer, and Mike is waiting to hear back from the ASA about whether these schedules are viable. The coaches will work mainly with qualified or aspiring coaches at slowpitch softball leagues around the country, including Scotland.
Coaching for B and C-grade teams: Mike Jennings has contacted seven of the teams that signed up for this BSF-supported initiative, and has heard back from five of them, who are currently making arrangements with GB Slowpitch Team personnel who will offer them a full day clinic and then monitor game management with the team at an early-season competition.
ISF Slowpitch Umpire Course: It now seems more likely that the International Softball Federation will run an ISF Slowpitch Umpire Course in the UK from May 7-11, with trainees from the UK and elsewhere in Europe doing three days of classroom and field work, followed by assessment at the Diamond Series 1 tournament on May 10-11. The classroom/field sessions will be held at Richings Park. So far, two umpires from the UK, two from Ireland and one each from Germany and France have signed up for the course. If they pass, trainees will receive ISF slowpitch accreditation and will be eligible to umpire at the ISF Slowpitch World Cup in January 2014 in Florida if the tournament goes ahead. In order to proceed, the course needs clearance from ESF Umpire-in-Chief Andrea Marcon.
Under-18 requirements
The Executive discussed the latest draft of the requirements to be carried out when young people aged 18 and under play in an adult fastpitch or slowpitch team or umpire or coach at an adult game. A few final changes and additions were made, particularly with regard to responsibility for ensuring that the regulations are carried out.
Members at the BSF AGM in February voted to make these requirements mandatory rather than simply guidelines.
Following a final view by all members of the Executive, the requirements will be featured in an article on the BSF website and uploaded to the Resources section.
BSF budget
BSF Treasurer Mike Jennings reviewed proposed changes to the 2012-13 BSF budget, designed to reduce expenditure so that the year will end with the required amount of reserves in place.
As it is, the budget projects a planned £9000-£10,000 deficit for the year, with the main areas of discretionary spending on development projects, events and marketing and national teams support.
The budget will be finalised and approved at the next BSF Executive meeting on April 11.
Softball World Series
The Softball World Series Tournament, approaching its 15th season in 2013, has traditionally been run and underwritten by BSUK. However, the tournament generally makes a loss, mainly because of the need to hire mini-buses to transport overseas teams, and over the past two years, the BSF has made a contribution to BSUK to help defray the loss.
Now BSUK has requested that the BSF fully underwrite the tournament, as the competition is not part of BSUK's development brief, whereas it has value to the BSF both as an iconic tournament for members and a means of promoting slowpitch in Europe.
Twenty-two teams – ten from overseas – have already signed up provisionally for the 2013 World Series, with only 18 places available. The number of overseas teams is the largest in the tournament's history, but this raises the issue of whether some UK-based teams might be squeezed out.
The Executive asked World Series organiser Bob Fromer to submit a list of interested teams and a projected budget, and will consider the matter further.
Development Grant application
The Executive approved a Development Grant application for £250 from the Manchester Maniacs National Softball League team for training equipment and indoor training fees. The team is now the only Northern team in the NSL and has the longest distances to travel to take part in NSL competition and (if they qualify) the Premier Nationals.
The team offers a route for Manchester players to develop their game to the highest level, and four players who started with the Maniacs are currently in the GB Slowpitch Team player pool. Indoor training during the closed season, which is what the application covers, is considered essential for the team, and 26 players from the MSL have been training with the Maniacs over the winter.
National Softball League
Tournaments Officer Liz Graham told the meeting that the National Softball League in 2013 will consist of 11 teams, with six tournaments hosting NSL play: the three Diamond Series Tournaments, plus the Pioneers, British Airways and Bristol weekends.
Eight of the 11 teams will qualify for the Premier Nationals on August 31-September 1 at Farnham Park.
There will be no requirements for NSL teams to play in a minimum number of tournaments, but the BSF believes that the need for points to qualify for the Premier Nationals will drive participation.
The BSF hopes that a balanced schedule can be played across the tournaments hosting NSL competition, with NSL teams playing each other the same number of times during the season. Each tournament will draw up its own schedule for NSL teams, but Liz Graham will monitor results and will negotiate with tournament organisers as the season goes along to schedule particular games that are necessary to complete a balanced NSL schedule.
GB Management Committee
Beth Perkins reported that all but one of the support roles for national teams advertised by the GB Management Committee (GBMC) have been filled, with volunteers coming forward to work on finance, administration, communications, fund-raising and strength and conditioning.
The new recruits will become members of the GBMC, and will attend a meeting on April 6 to take up their roles.
Umpire Course cancellation
Chris Moon reported that a one-day League Umpire Course requested by the Greater London Softball Mixed League for March 16 has been cancelled.
The GLSML is still running two further one-day courses and a two-day BASU Qualification Course.
Next meeting
The next BSF Executive conference call meeting will be held on Thursday evening, April 11.
Anyone with an item to submit for the agenda should contact BSF Administrator .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).