.jpg)
The Great Britain Fastpitch League will play on five Saturdays during 2016 at Farnham Park, none of them clashing with major slowpitch events, and the growing league expects to welcome an influx of new players this season.
If you’re interested in giving fastpitch a try, or you’re a former fastpitch player who wants to come back to the game, read on for full details of dates, registration and how the league will work.
Dates
Building on the success of its 2015 season, the Southern section of the Great Britain Fastpitch League (there will be a separate GBFL in the North this year) has opened registration for the 2016 season.
This year, the GBFL will be played in single-sex leagues, and registration by players is being encouraged so the organisers can begin to plan the schedule and teams.
The dates for league play will be:
- Saturday 30 April
- Saturday 7 May
- Saturday 21 May
- Saturday 4 June
In addition, a Finals Day will be held on Saturday 23 July.
League structure
For male players the league has devised a new structure where all players will register as individuals and will then be drafted into one of four teams of balanced ability. Male players aged 14+ of all abilities who previously played on other GBFL teams are encouraged to register, alongside any male slowpitch players wanting to try a new challenge.
Players will be notified as soon as possible which team they have been drafted to and how much to pay in league fees.
The structure of the Women’s League is yet to be decided. It may follow the same approach as the Men’s League or it could have its traditional teams battling it out for the league title. This is still to be decided by a Women’s League committee, but meanwhile female players of all ages are encouraged to register and everyone will be guaranteed to get a team.
The link to the registration page is: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JTQGBCV.
In order to make all this work, the GBFL requires all players to register with the league as soon as possible so they know how many players are available and their experience of fastpitch in the past.
Thank you to those of you who have already registered -- there is no need to do so again.
New players will be coached and taught how to play, so sign up and join in!
Costs
Player costs are currently being finalised and will depend on the number of teams that play in the league -- so the sooner the GBFL organisers have an idea of player numbers, the sooner they will be able to set the fees.
The player fee will also include a contribution towards BSF team affiliation fees.
Player registration does not require any payment now -- it is just to help the league gauge player numbers.
Fields
The GBFL is hoping to have three diamonds available at Farnham Park on each of the league playing dates, which will allow longer playing times for each game.
More information
For more information on the GBFL, please check out www.fastpitchsoftball.co.uk.
