BaseballSoftballUK, the development agency for both sports in the United Kingdom, is excited to announce the launch of the second round of applications for its Facilities Fund. BSUK has committed £10,000 per year to the Fund for five years starting in 2021, and any Development Charter clubs, leagues, or organisations are eligible to apply for up to £5,000 in funding.
As part of BaseballSoftballUK’s 2020-2024 Two Sports One Ambition Strategy, launched in August 2020, BSUK reaffirmed its commitment to help grassroots baseball and softball clubs and leagues across the UK to become stronger, safer and more sustainable. One way that BSUK will support clubs and leagues is through funding infrastructure projects, helping to create more places to play baseball and softball.
In the first year of Facilities Fund awards, BaseballSoftballUK was able to extend the £10,000 allotted to £12,050 for the five recipient organisations, which were Bristol Baseball Club, Bracknell Baseball & Softball Club, Guildford Baseball & Softball Club, Birmingham Baseball Club and Wolverhampton Baseball Club. As a result of the direct investment of £12,050 by BSUK, the five recipients will collectively benefit from an additional £30,000+ of investment from partnership activity. You can read about the first round of awards here.
“We were very impressed by the level of applications received for the first year of the Facilities Fund," said Luis Arrevillagas, BaseballSoftballUK Development Manager and Facilities Fund lead. “The members of the assessors’ panel commented on how great it was to see so many clubs looking to improve facilities at the grassroots level -- vital for the development and growth of baseball and softball. I’m very excited to launch the second round of applications. Most clubs have improved their governance by simply looking at what’s required for the application process, and that can only be a good thing for our sport.”
The Fund is open to any not-for-profit club, league or association that has registered under the Development Charter, and clubs who have not done so can register here. All British Baseball Federation and British Softball Federation clubs are automatically enrolled. Clubs or leagues wishing to apply for funding will have to meet strict criteria, and your BSUK Relationship Manager will guide you through the process and application.
For a complete list of criteria and how to apply, click here.
In launching the Facilities Fund in 2020, and by committing £50K over five years, BSUK has committed a large amount of resources to develop fields and facilities across the United Kingdom. If your company or organisation is interested in supporting the Fund, please contact commercial@bsuk.com.