The BSF Executive held its final conference call meeting of the year on December 6. Below are the highlights of discussions and decisions.
Attendance
Present: Stella Ackrell (President), Mike Jennings (Treasurer), Liz Graham (Tournaments Officer), Mark Wigington (Marketing Officer), Chris Moon (BASU Representative).
Apologies: Vicky Hall (Administrator), Beth Perkins (National Teams Officer), Lesley Morisetti (Tournaments Officer).
Guest: Bob Fromer (BSUK).
Meeting dates
The Executive has decided to move the date of the League Heads Forum in Birmingham to Sunday, January 13, while the 2013 AGM will be held on Saturday, February 23 at St Thomas's Church in Watford.
This will avoid both meetings taking place on Saturdays, which would pose issues for the London Indoor League, and will make it possible to hold the AGM in St Thomas's Church, where it was held in 2011. The church would not be available on a Sunday.
The AGM Pack for the 2013 AGM will be disseminated at the beginning of February.
League Heads Forum agenda
The Executive is compiling an agenda for the League Heads Forum on January 13, and will ask League Heads to suggest topics.
BSF President Stella Ackrell will go through the 2011 agenda and retain relevant items, to which will be added the following:
- Co-ed Nationals issues and proposals.
- League-based youth programmes and contacts with schools.
- BSF offer to support coaching for B/C-grade teams.
- Changes to ASA non-approved bats procedures.
Suggestions for additional items from the BSF Executive or from members should be sent to BSF Administrator Vicky Hall.
Co-ed Slowpitch Nationals
An email sent by the BSF to League Heads and 2012 Co-ed Nationals participants on the question of whether to hold all grades of Co-ed Nationals together in 2013 or keep the Premier Nationals separate elicited 20 responses.
At the heart of the question was the issue of NSL players who play in the Premier Nationals also being able to play for their midweek league teams at other grades, which would no longer be possible if all the Nationals were held together.
The result was a narrow margin in favour of a Co-ed Nationals where all grades play at the same venue on the same weekend, with the opportunity for the BSF to devote resources to making this tournament a pinnacle event both on and off the field.
However, a number of those who were against the proposal because of the effect it might have on players on their own team nevertheless expressed a willingness to go along with it for the good of the sport.
Meanwhile, a number of other issues apart from the question of whether to combine all the Co-ed Nationals, and on what date the tournament might be held, were raised by those who responded to the BSF email, and many of these merit further consideration:
-- If all the Nationals are combined, should the number of grades be reduced?
-- What is the relationship between Nationals grades and the A-B-C or Comp-Rec gradings used at most tournaments?
-- What is the appropriate number of Nationals places at each grade?
-- If the Nationals are combined, can league teams that lose players to the Premier Nationals get dispensations to replace them?
-- If the Nationals are combined, can scheduling be done to ensure that players can watch competition in other grades, and especially the Premier Final?
The BSF plans to form a subcommittee consisting of Executive members and players from across the grades to consider these issues and bring proposals to the League Heads Forum and possibly to the AGM.
National Teams strategy
In 2013, all seven GB National Teams will be taking part in official ISF or ESF competitions, the first time this has ever happened.
But in a time of shrinking resources, this raises the question of whether there is an overall strategy for national teams with regard to development and competition.
This is a question that the GB Management Committee and the BSF Executive will consider during the coming year.
Foreign visitors
The BSF has received requests from the softball federations of both Ghana and Nigeria to send a delegation of officials to the UK in 2013 to study how softball is run in this country. And both countries would like to send teams as well, presumed to be women's fastpitch teams, to play friendly matches with GB or club teams.
Nigeria has also suggested that this could be the beginning of an annual Softball Championship involving Great Britain and Anglophone African countries, though the costs involved would almost certainly make this problematic.
While the BSF is happy to host these countries in principle, more information is required about what the delegations want to get out of their visits, and the BSF would like to see if both delegations could come on the same dates, which would minimise the time that BSF Executive members, League Heads and BSUK staff would need to devote to the project.
The BSF will also need to determine what the cost implications might be for us as hosts, and whether these are manageable.
Representatives from Ghana and Nigeria will be asked to provide more information about their objectives and about what they are expecting us to provide as hosts, and the BSF will suggest that a conference call among all parties be arranged for January.
Baseball clubs with softball teams
The BSF has received a request from BSUK Midlands Development Manager Will Lintern to consider whether affiliation fee concessions could be offered to softball teams that are started within existing baseball clubs, as a means of encouraging the formation of joint clubs.
This situation may arise with some Midlands baseball clubs for next season.
The BSF already has concessionary fees in place for new league teams, but recognises that new softball teams formed by baseball clubs might not necessarily have a league to play in when the first come into existence.
The BSF will discuss the issue further after receiving more information about the possibilities in the Midlands that gave rise to the question.
ASA Non-Approved Bats List
Chris Moon, BASU representative on the BSF Executive, reported that the ASA will be issuing a new certification for slowpitch bats only that will take effect on January 1, 2013. Some manufacturers have been producing new bats over the past few months based on the standards for this new certification, and any bats that have it will be approved for BSF play.
In reality, however, nothing will change as a result of this, since bats with prior certification are still acceptable, and there has been no change to the list of 25 bats on the ASA's “non-approved” list.
BSF coaching offer for B-grade and C-grade teams
The BSF is about to advertise for B-grade and C-grade tournament teams to sign up for coaching sessions from GB Slowpitch Team coaches and players prior to the 2013 season, with the costs supported by the BSF.
The scheme would involve a one-day clinic, followed by a GB coach spending time with the team in a competition setting to work on game management and strategy.
Civil and public liability insurance
A number of teams or leagues have recently contacted the BSF because they need to produce proof of Civil and Public Liability insurance for various official bodies, but are afraid that the current insurance through the BSF will expire at the end of the year.
However, BSF Treasurer Mike Jennings assured the Executive that the terms of the policy with the insurers, Perkins Slade, mean that the insurance is continuous and will not expire on a given date while premiums are still being paid. BSUK has asked Perkins Slade for something that will confirm this; but until this comes, the BSF is willing to provide a formal assurance that insurance is in place.
Teams or leagues that need this should contact Mike Jennings.
Fastpitch umpire courses
ISF European Umpire Coordinator Marlies Struyve, who ran a Fastpitch Umpire Course at Milton Keynes this past April, has volunteered to come to the UK on two occasions in 2013 once outdoor fastpitch play begins – once to run another fastpitch umpire course and begin to assess candidates to attend an ESF course, and the second time to complete the assessment and recommend candidates.
This programme is part of an effort by the BSF and the British fastpitch community to increase the number of umpires qualified to officiate at fastpitch play in Britain and Europe, making it easier for Britain to fulfil its ESF umpire obligations.
ISF slowpitch umpire course
ISF Umpire-in-Chief Bob Stanton is keen to have an ISF Slowpitch Umpire course run in Europe during 2013, and hosting the course in England seems the likeliest possibility.
Ireland had also expressed interest in hosting the course, but ISF requirements to have at least 10-15 participants, to open the course to slowpitch umpires from across Europe, and to assess the umpires at an A-grade tournament, makes Britain the better possibility.
There is a need to get more European slowpitch umpires ISF-qualified because of the ISF Slowpitch World Cup tournament scheduled for January 2014, where teams that enter will be expected to bring umpires with them.
The BSF will need to provide room and board for the course trainers, facilities to run the course, and an A-grade tournament at which assessments can be made.
Twinning arrangements
As part of a project agreed by the ESF and the ASA in the United States, European Federations are to be “twinned” with ASA state organisations, and following discussions at the recent ISF Special Congress in Houston, Great Britain will be twinned with Massachusetts.
Contact has been made with Massachusetts ASA Commissioner Joe Alphonse, who has considerable experience of European softball, to determine what activities might take place under the arrangement, but these discussions are at an early stage.
One thing the BSF hopes can be achieved is for one or two specialist slowpitch coaches to be sent to the UK from Massachusetts in 2013 to work with the GB Slowpitch Team coaching staff and also to provide clinics for leagues around the country, as the Combat coaches did in 2011.
Next meeting
The next BSF Executive conference call meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 3.
Anyone with topics for the agenda should contact BSF Administrator Vicky Hall.