The first games in the new London Youth Fastpitch League were played at a muddy Finsbury Park on Sunday 10 April, complete with an Opening Ceremony and a ceremonial first pitch thrown by BSUK’s new Fastpitch Development Officer, Johanna Malisani.
For the moment, the league is pitting a new girls’ softball team formed by the London Mets Baseball and Softball Club against players from the new girls’ fastpitch programme started this year at LondonSports – although during the course of the afternoon players were exchanged between the two teams to fill positional gaps and level the playing field.
The plan is for the teams to play doubleheaders on most Sundays until 5 June, and the main aim of the league is to attract more girls aged 13-19 to fastpitch softball. Later in the spring, youth fastpitch programmes from Chichester, Nottingham and elsewhere will be invited to send teams, and there are plans for a mini-tournament at Wormwood Scrubs in May.
New players will be welcome to join the league at any time regardless of previous baseball or softball experience.
Mix and match
The games were played in good spirit and with a real mixture of ages and softball skills. Established and aspiring GB Under-19 and Under-16 players shared the field with players as young as 13, new recruits from cricket and rounders, players from Leicester, girls from the American School in London and others.
Kristen Kohler, who has pitched for the GB Under-13s for the past two years at the ESF’s Massimo Romeo Youth Cup in Italy, pitched for LondonSports on the day – the first competitive fastpitch game she had ever played on UK soil!
Other pitchers during the games – some of them just beginning to learn the art – included Ella Henson, Izzy Quy and Laura Hirai for the Mets, while in addition to Kristen Kohler, London Sports put Lily Ferragamo and Chelsie Robison in the circle.
Everyone welcome
Both the London Mets and LondonSports have the capacity to take in more players and form new teams, and anyone interested in playing or sending players to a mini-tournament in May should contact Holly Bell-Stevens [hollybell.stevens@gmail.com]. For more information about the new LYFPL club programmes please visit www.londonmets.org and www.londonsports.com.
The new London Youth FastPitch League is just one element of an effort gaining pace this year to increase the number of girls and boys playing fastpitch softball in the UK and to increase the quality of coaching and play on offer.
In this effort, BSUK’s new Fastpitch Development Officer, Johanna Malisani, will be bringing the game to schools and youth groups, working with existing clubs such as the Mets and LondonSports, creating new clubs and also supporting Academy and National Team programmes.
London Mets in Prague
Meanwhile, many of the players who played in the London Youth Fastpitch League opener will be heading to Prague on the weekend of 15-17 April to represent the London Mets in the PONY European Zone Qualifying Tournament hosted by the Prague Eagles.
The Mets team will include:
Kristen Kohler
Betsy Holden
Laura Hirai
Eliza Esiri
Ella Henson
Saskia Davies
Lily Ferragammo
Izzy Quy
Rose Taylor Bhanji
Marianna Casal
Annecy Stevens
Marlia Van’t Sant
Emma Harris
Sixteen teams have entered the competition from eight different countries, and the London Mets will start off in a four-team group that includes a team from Ukraine, Joudrs Prague from the Czech Republic and Gepardy Zory from Poland.