Three GB Softball teams – the GB Slowpitch Team, the GB Men’s Fastpitch Team and the GB Under-19 Women’s Fastpitch Team – are looking for Team Managers after the resignation of two long-serving and successful incumbents and the promotion of a third.
GB Slowpitch Team Manager Sara Vertigan, who has held the programme together under a number of Head Coaches, and has also served as one of the squad’s assistant coaches, announced her decision to step down after the team returned from the recent WBSC Slowpitch World Cup in Florida.
GB Men’s Fastpitch Team Manager Steve Fullan stepped down after many years as a player and Team Manager following last summer’s WBSC Men’s World Championships in Canada.
Meanwhile, Simon Mortimer, who has been the GB Under-19 Women’s Team Manager for the past three years and has taken the team to a European Championship and two World Championships, has stepped up to take over as the Manager for the GB Senior Women’s Team.
Both Sara Vertigan and Steve Fullan have provided exceptional service to their national team programmes, and have been instrumental in their teams’ success on the field. With Sara Vertigan as Team Manager, the GB Slowpitch Team has won multiple European Championships and finished second and fourth at WBSC Slowpitch World Cups. With Steve Fullan as GB Team Manager, the GB Men’s Fastpitch Team has qualified for three World Championships and risen as high as #8 in the world rankings.
Although Simon Mortimer has not been a GB Team Manager for as long as Sara and Steve, the GB Under-19 Women’s Fastpitch Team has achieved its highest-ever European ranking (#4) and World ranking (#9) during his tenure.
Now all three teams will need new Team Managers to come forward to help them continue their success, and the BSF is inviting applications for the role.
Job Spec and Applications
GB National Team Managers have a wide range of duties during trials, training and competition, working closely with the Head Coach, Assistant Coaches and other staff such as physiotherapists or trainers.
A general list of the tasks undertaken by National Team Managers can be downloaded here.
Team Manager positions are voluntary, but all costs of attending official tournaments overseas are covered, and costs to attend training and trials in the UK can sometimes be met through team funds or by the GB Management Committee.
Above all, the job requires good organisational and communication skills, attention to detail, the ability to manage a budget and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
An Application Form for any of the vacant Team Manager positions can be downloaded here. The deadline for applications is 15 January 2016.
Next competitions
The GB Under-19 Women’s Fastpitch Team will be competing in 2016 at the European Junior Women’s Championships, scheduled from 1-6 August near Barcelona in Spain. With a new coaching staff recently appointed, this team has the most urgent need for a new Team Manager to come forward.
The GB Slowpitch Team does not have a European Championship in 2016, but is likely to participate in the next WBSC World Slowpitch Cup or Championship, probably in the United States towards the end of 2016.
During the spring of 2016, however, the Team Manager will play a key role in organising the GB Challenge Weekend in April, when GB squad members will play a tournament prior to selections for the 2016 season and then in helping to organise and run a fundraising tournament known as the GB Slowpitch Open.
Other tasks during the year will be to organise training sessions for the GB Slowpitch Main and Development squads, assign GB Team players and coaches to run coaching clinics for the BSF and manage the GB Development Team at the Softball World Series in September.
The GB Men’s Fastpitch Team is unlikely to play in any official ESF or ISF competitions in 2016, allowing time for the programme to re-define itself and for a new Team Manager – and possibly new coaches – to bed in.
However, a team made up of players from the GB Men’s Team and Under-19 Men’s Team, plus others, will probably enter the annual and prestigious Zeisterslot Men’s Fastpitch Tournament in Holland in May.
The team’s next official competition is likely to be the WBSC Men’s World Championships in 2017.
The GB Men’s Fastpitch Team Manager will be expected to continue to work closely with the staff of the GB Under-19 Men’s Fastpitch Team programme, to help ensure a smooth progression of players from the junior to the senior team.
Questions
For more information about GB Softball Team Manager positions or the application process, contact GB Management Committee members Bob Fromer (bob.fromer@bsuk.com) or Vicky Hall (vahall@hotmail.co.uk).