The British Softball Federation and Performance Director Gary Anderson have today appointed Alan Le Marquand as Head Coach of the Great Britain U-15 Women’s Fastpitch Softball Team.
A longtime member of the British softball community, Le Marquand has been part of the Great Britain Men’s Fastpitch programme since 2020, serving as U18 Men’s Head Coach for the past 11 months. He has coached at BaseballSoftballUK’s Academy and High-Performance Academy and is a member of the European Softball Coaches Association and the American National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Alan was also the first-ever certified coach in the UK under the new Coaching Playbook requirements.
Le Marquand runs the Maidenhead Softball Club, part of the Windsor & Maidenhead Softball League, where he has developed a number of young players who have gone on to represent their country, as well as the London Indoor Softball League for BaseballSoftballUK. Le Marquand takes over for Ieuan Gale, who leaves to pursue a full-time coaching career in the United States.
“Developing a long-term strategy to nurture British-based coaches is essential for the sustainable growth and competitive success of softball in the UK. By investing in home-grown coaching talent, the sport builds a consistent coaching philosophy, strengthens athlete pathways, and reduces reliance on short-term external expertise. Alan has evidenced his desire to develop as a coach and be part of the wider project within Great Britain Softball,” said Olympic Performance Director Gary Anderson. “A key opportunity within this strategy is the embedding of Alan within the highly experienced performance management group that currently exists. Over time, this shared knowledge and mentorship will raise coaching standards nationally, create continuity across age groups, and support the long-term performance ambitions of British softball. We look forward to continuing to build the long-term legacy that our recent performance trajectory at the senior level has enabled.”
“I am delighted that Alan is joining the programme as U15 Head Coach. ", said Olympic Head Coach Tara Henry. “His experience developing young fastpitch players is critical for the long-term health of the programme, and the development of fastpitch softball within Britain. As the coach of our youngest age group, Alan will have a large impact on the future of the programme, and I look forward to working with him as this summer's U15 European Championships approaches.”
“I am extremely grateful and excited to be taking on this role. To be charged with helping this age group on their first steps into the performance program is something I'm honoured with,” said Le Marquand. “There is a lot of work to be done as we look forward to a European Championship later in the year, especially given the majority of the last U15 Championship team have now moved up an age group, we will be building a new team. I want to thank Gary, Tara and Alan for giving me this opportunity to be part of this amazing program.”
The Great Britain U15s will participate in the 2026 U15 Women’s Softball European in Rosmalen, The Netherlands from 27 July to 1 August. Follow the Great Britain Women’s Softball Junior Teams – U15 and U18 – at @GBSoftballU18 on X and Instagram for all the latest updates, news, and competition details.