The GB Under-19 Men's Fastpitch Team has a new Head Coach, Des Jooste, who will take the team to the European Championships next summer in the Czech Republic.
Des replaces Pat Weightman, who coached the team to a fifth-place finish at the last European Championships in Denmark in 2013.
Softball CV
Des Jooste, a South African now living in the UK, began playing softball in 1973 and went to his first Inter-Provincial Tournament in 1974. He spent the next few years playing for the Transvaal Men's Team and started his coaching career during this period, he said, by “teaching the basics to a lot of Little league sides. I like to think that I did a good job as I produced a large number of provincial players and a handful of South Africa players.
“I continued playing both baseball and softball,” Des added, “until I decided that I was a mediocre player and took up coaching more seriously. Besides coaching sides at numerous tournaments and winning a good few of them, I also started coaching the Transvaal Schools Under-19 Men, again having a good few South Africa schools players.”
Des also ran his own baseball and softball club that at one stage was the biggest in South Africa, with three men's and two women's softball sides, five Little League softball teams and four baseball sides.
“I am looking forward to the season,” Des said, “and hope to be successful with the GB Under-19 Men in the future.”
Assistant Coach
The new Assistant Coach for the GB Under-19 Men's Team will be Des Jooste's son Gareth, who plays for the London Meteors and was part of the GB Men's Team that played in European Championships last summer.
Gareth started playing teeball at the age of six in South Africa, and moved over to fastpitch softball around the age of 12. He played in his father's Men's B Team at the age of 15 and was shortlisted for the South African Schools Under-19 Team. He made the Gauteng Men’s A Team at the age of 18 and pitched against the South African Under-19 Men's Team.
Though Gareth didn't play softball for 14 years after moving to the UK, he joined the Meteors two years ago and was then selected for the GB Men's Team.