The BSF Executive held a conference call meeting on the evening of Monday, January 30. Highlights of discussions and decisions are below.
Attendance
Present: Mike Jennings (Treasurer), Liz Graham (Tournaments Officer),
Lesley Morisetti (Tournaments Officer), Vicky Hall (General Officer), Chris Moon (BASU Representative).
Apologies: Stella Ackrell (President), Julie Calver (Website Officer), Mark Wigington (Marketing Officer).
Guest: Bob Fromer (BSUK).
BSF AGM
The Executive discussed plans for the 2012 BSF AGM, to be held at the Hough End Police Sports & Social Club in Manchester on Saturday, February 18.
The AGM Pack has been delayed, but should go out shortly.
The BSF Executive will bring a motion for debate at the AGM on the election of officers and term limits, so elements of its Memorandum and Articles of Association and its Constitution can be re-drafted in response to the fact that the BSF is now a company limited by guarantee. The changes will be brought to the AGM in 2013. The Executive will also propose that changes in officer roles be made a by-law issue rather than a Constitutional matter in future. This will make it easier for the Executive to adjust roles in response to changing circumstances and need.
Thirteen new members will be inducted into the BSF Hall of Fame at the AGM. The new inductees will be invited to attend, and there will be a brief induction ceremony during the meeting. The BSF will also present its annual awards to individuals, leagues and teams.
Morning sessions before the formal AGM will begin at 11.00 am with a discussion on the structure and operation of the National Softball League (NSL) in 2012. The BSF is planning to add an NSL2 division this year. This session will be followed around noon by a workshop on how leagues can use local corporate softball events to expand membership and potentially raise money.
National Softball League
In order to inform the discussion session at the AGM on the National Softball League, the BSF has polled all teams that played in the NSL last year. The question was whether they would prefer the current scheduling, where NSL teams may not necessarily play against all other teams (or not the same number of times) or whether they would prefer a balanced schedule, where teams play every other team the same number of times, presenting a more level playing field for Premier Nationals qualification.
The result was 10 in favour of the status quo and three in favour of a balanced schedule. But at the same time, the teams expressed a desire for better -- presumably more balanced -- scheduling at NSL events.
This anomaly arose because of the way the BSF was forced to pose the question. Voting for the status quo would mean NSL teams would still compete at existing tournaments such as the Diamond Series and others, with a final and a winner on each occasion, but voting for a balanced schedule would mean competing at special BSF-run NSL tournaments that would lack the size and atmosphere of the Diamond Series, the Pioneers Tournament etc.
The reason why the question had to be posed in that way is that the Diamond Series organisers, up to this point, have been unwilling to cooperate with the BSF in setting out a schedule at its events more conducive to the aims of the NSL.
At its weekend meeting in October 2011, the BSF had agreed that it wanted a more rational structure to NSL competition and had developed plans for achieving this; but these plans are once again up in the air.
Meanwhile, emails have now gone out to a list of teams that might potentially be interested in an NSL2 competition leading to qualification for a second tier Premier Nationals, and this proposal will also be discussed during the NSL session at the AGM, beginning at 11.00 am.
Game endings
One of the issues that has surfaced as a result of dissatisfaction by some teams over scheduling at Diamond Series events and other tournaments is game endings in timed games.
Both the BSF and BASU are committed to the principle that the final inning of games, once started, should be played to a natural conclusion whenever possible rather than games being stopped with the score reverting to the end of the last completed inning.
Some tournament organisers oppose this because it poses the danger of games running over time and distorting the tournament schedule.
The BSF and BASU recognise this concern, but feel that games are unlikely to overrun very often if all tournaments adopt the principle of "no new inning" to be called at least ten minutes before the end of the time slot, with umpires exercising some game management discretion to ensure that final innings can be completed on time.
Another issue that would allow players to get a full amount of game time, according to BSF's BASU Representative Chris Moon, is for captains to have line-ups ready and in the scorebook at the official start time, which currently doesn't always happen.
BASU will discuss the issue of game endings at its AGM on February 11, a week before the BSF AGM, and is expected to confirm support for playing out final innings whenever possible. The BSF and BASU will then take the lead in trying to get this policy implemented in all open tournaments.
Finance
BSF Treasurer Mike Jennings reported that no issues have been raised within the Executive about the budget he has proposed for 2012 (technically, from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012). The Executive has now approved the 2010-2011 accounts and the 2011-2012 budget and both will go forward to the AGM.
Mike explained that his basic approach to drawing up budgets is that the BSF should end each year with reserves of between 75% and 100% of annual income from fees. The budget proposal for 2011-2012 will result in an operating loss as a result of spending on a number of development projects, but should still leave the BSF with reserves amounting to 80% of total fee income at the end of the year.
ESF Congress
The annual European Softball Federation Congress will be held in Malta on February 3-4, and BSF President Stella Ackrell and Treasurer Mike Jennings will attend.
The BSF has submitted five motions to the Congress relating to the provision of media facilities at ESF tournaments, tournament formats, the charge levied by the ESF against countries that do not supply umpires for competitions in which they take part and whether the ESF Executive can change resolutions passed at Congress before the subsequent AGM, particularly those with financial implications.
In the Congress AGM Pack, the ESF Executive has recommended that none of the BSF motions should be passed. This recommendation is not binding, but may make it more difficult for the BSF representatives to convince delegates of the merits of our proposals.
Facility development
On behalf of the BSF Executive, Mike Jennings will be asking BSUK for an update on the latest plans for field composition and layout at Farnham Park, where construction on the planned development of dedicated baseball and softball diamonds is scheduled to begin before the end of the winter.
The BSF would like to ensure that slowpitch softball has a permanent voice on BSUK's Facilities Steering Group that is overseeing the development.
Whole Sport Plan targets
BSUK is currently working on the new Whole Sport Plan that will go to Sport England in May and will be the basis of funding for baseball and softball development in the period 2013-2017.
The BSF Executive wants to ensure that there is a robust target in the Plan with regard to bringing new adult players and teams into co-ed slowpitch softball and converting new teams into BSF members.
Next meeting
The BSF Executive will meet during the evening after the 2012 AGM on February 18 in Manchester, and its next conference call meeting will be on Thursday, March 8.
Anyone with items to raise at either meeting should email details to BSF General Officer .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).