A meeting of around 15 people who want to further the growth and development of fastpitch softball in Britain was held on Saturday 22 November in Teddington, London, to discuss and assign volunteers for a number of tasks and projects that can enhance the format in 2015 and beyond.
A further 15 or so people invited to the meeting were not able to attend but are keen to be involved.
The meeting was organised by the GB Management Committee, a subcommittee of the British Softball Federation that supports and oversees GB National Teams and fastpitch development. The overall project to grow and develop the fastpitch format will be called Fastpitch 2020.
Projects
The projects that were discussed at the meeting, and for which people were invited to volunteer, included:
- Organising next year's Great Britain Fastpitch League.
- Organising weekend training and competition trips to Europe for GB youth teams.
- Supporting young GB players who want to play in the US college system.
- Carrying out an inventory of GB uniforms and equipment.
- Organising a group to provide catering at tournaments and carry out other fundraising activities.
- Bringing fastpitch into schools and organising local fastpitch clubs.
- Setting up a GB Alumni group.
- Collecting GB Affiliation Fees from GB players.
- Creating a new travelling team for players aged 19+ to help ridge the gap between the GB Under-19 and Senior teams.
- Creating a new travelling team for Under-19 players to help them get more competition experience.
- Improving communications within the fastpitch community.
- Organising training opportunities for fastpitch coaches.
Each project will be "sponsored" by a member of the GB Management Committee, whose job will be to support the volunteers who have taken on the project and help bring it to a successful conclusion.
Can you help?
More volunteers are definitely needed, and anyone who would like to get involved in any of the tasks and projects listed above should contact GB Management Committee member Vicky Hall.
