Throughout the summer of 2016, BaseballSoftballUK will be undertaking an extensive research project to find out more about our baseball and softball participants.
BSUK is committed to providing the best service that we can for our communities, and to help us do that we would like to learn more about you -- your motivations for playing, reasons that you can’t play as much as you would like, and improvements you would like us to make.
Later this year, we will be applying to Sport England for funding for the 2017-21 cycle for baseball and softball, and the detailed information we are looking for will not only help us make a better case for funding but will enable us to provide you with more and better opportunities to play baseball and/or softball.
Questionnaire (July 2016)
The first stage of our research will consist of a questionnaire aimed at everyone in British baseball and softball who is willing to complete it. The survey will be much more in-depth than in previous years, and will ask for a broader set of information about socioeconomic status, activity levels, transport issues etc as well as your motivations for playing and which factors become barriers to participation. This survey will be run both electronically and in paper form at selected events, with the caveat that people should only complete the survey once.
To access the survey, please click here.
Please enter your details at the end of the survey. Your details will be stored separately from your responses to the survey questions.
Interviews (August 2016)
The second stage of the study will involve the selection of a sample of people across the three formats of our sport – baseball, fastpitch softball and slowpitch softball – who are willing to speak to us at more length in the form of recorded interviews. Participants who are new to the sports as well as more experienced players will be included.
This will give us an insight into people’s “stories” -- how they discovered the sport, their current satisfaction levels within the sport and what they think the profile of the sport looks like to potential participants.
This process will be repeated with those who are connected to the sport but not currently active (such as retired players or family members of participants), and also with people who are completely unaware of and unconnected to the sport. Interviewees that we contact will receive a £10 retail voucher as thanks for their input.
Thank you!
This two-stage and wide-reaching study will be of great help to us in understanding our offer to our communities and our position in the sports marketplace, and will help us realise our vision of baseball and softball being “Played in Every Park”.
As a thank you for your time, if you take part in either stage of our survey, you will have the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw for one of two £75 equipment vouchers from The Baseball Shop and/or The Softball Shop (Ransom Sporting Goods). This offer does not apply to BSUK staff or national volunteers.