Five players who were members this year of the first Softball High Performance Academy (HPA) will spend several days at the ISF Women's World Championships in the Netherlands this summer as an extension of the Academy's learning programme.
The players – Lucy Hall, Laura Hirai, Amie Hutchinson, Chelsie Robison and Immy Thomas – are all members of GB Youth Softball Teams and all took part in BSUK's High Performance Academy this spring, either in person or through a distance learning programme.
The girls will attend the World Championships in the company of HPA coach Robbie Robison and another coach to be named later, and will be there to watch the best softball players in the world, analyse games along with the coaches, and learn as much as they can from what they see.
Some financial support for the trip has been provided through the HPA, and BSUK Welfare Officer Jenny Fromer will also be in Haarlem to provide any other support needed.
One other player who attended HPA sessions during the spring, Chloe Wigington, has been selected to the GB Women's Team and will be at the World Championships as a competitor.
Playoffs
The GB group will attend the last four days of the World Championships, which are taking place in Haarlem, from 21-24 August. They will get to see the last day of round-robin play in the tournament, including a game between the GB Women's Team and Chinese Taipei, and will then be able to see games on all three days of the playoffs and consolation playoffs.
In addition, the girls will be able to meet with the full GB Women's Team to ask questions about the tournament and what it's like to play on a world stage, and may take part in a training session with the team if time allows. The group may also meet up with two players from the Dutch National Team who served as instructors at HPA sessions in April, catcher Nathalie Timmermans and third base player Virginie Anneveld.
GB Women's Team Head Coach Hayley Scott said: “This will be an amazing opportunity for a great bunch of young GB athletes.”
European opportunity
The 2014 Women's World Championships, the 14th to be staged by the International Softball Federation (ISF) since the tournament began in 1965, has never been played in Europe before, and this will be the first time that Europeans have had a chance to see the best softball teams and players in the world on their doorstep.
And it's a particularly short journey from England to Haarlem!
The tournament will run from 15-24 August, with 16 teams playing in two round-robin groups of eight over the first seven days before playoffs and consolation playoffs begin.
The GB Women's Team will be playing in their fourth straight World Championship, and will enter the tournament ranked at #11. Although the GB Team just failed to qualify for the tournament (on run difference) at the 2013 European Championships, the ISF awarded Great Britain a wild card entry after one of the qualified teams from Africa failed to take up its place.