In 2012, the BSF decided to make a special award for services to softball to Bob Fromer.  Most people in softball will know Bob in some capacity, whether as a player, organiser, reporter, National Team manager or, since 2019, as the BSF's Administrator.  What everyone may not realise, is that there is literally no part of British softball as we know it today that has developed without Bob's direct work or influence.

Bob moved to the UK permanently in 1969 and a few years later, along with a friend, started a regular, initially largely male but then increasingly co-ed, pick-up softball game in Golders Hill Park.  This weekly game moved to Regents Park in 1974 and attracted an increasing number of players, thus playing a role in the massive expansion of the game in London in the 1980s.  From this pick-up game Bob founded the Zoo Crew men's team in the late 1970s, formed initially to play two grudge matches each season against Hypisco (the Hyde Park pick-up game that had been going since the 1960s).

In 1984 Bob was part of a group, who, with help from the British Baseball Federation, set up the first governing body for softball in London, known as SESA (the South of England Softball Association), a precursor to the London Softball Federation, along with the first softball leagues, which initially were single-sex.  Bob served on the Men's League Committee for many years.  At that point, members of SESA were ignorant of the fact that a British Softball Federation had been set up in 1968 in the Midlands, but had died out by the late 1970s.

Also in 1984, Bob made contact with Don Porter, then President of the International Softball Federation.  Through this approach, Don Porter visited the UK and sent a TWA touring team over to play both fastpitch and slowpitch exhibition games.

The following year, 1985, Bob was part of a group that founded the GB Women's Fastpitch Team in an attempt to put together a host team for the 1985 World Games, which was played in London.  Bob and his partner, Lynda, ran the World Games softball competition on behalf of the international organisers, which involved the USA, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Holland, and Belgium.  That same year Bob was the delegate to the BBF AGM where SESA withdrew softball from BBF governance.

Throughout the 1990s, Bob was active on the London Softball Federation, which at that time managed the majority of organised softball being played in the country.  In 1993, when Miller Beer invested some money into softball for a couple of years, Bob became the sport's first paid organiser / development worker.  As part of this role, Bob founded and edited the London Softball News and continued as editor when it went on to become the black-and-white and then colour versions of the magazine Double Play.

In the mid-1990s Bob led the effort to establish a London Softball Centre at Morden Park and secured grants for backstops and lighting.  He helped set up the British Softball Coaching Association (BSCA) and ran the project that brought Softball Canada Technical Director Darrell Joy to the UK for a number of months to coach players and coaches.

In 1996 Bob joined the BSF as their paid Development Worker and worked to foster closer co-operation with the BBF.  Bob spent much time travelling around the country, developing relationships with regions and leagues and persuading them to join the BSF, pay fees, and support the growth of softball.  He and BSF President, Nicola Harper approached the then Sports Council (now Sport England) and secured the first grant to softball.

In 1997 Bob organised the new GB Slowpitch Team’s tour to Georgia for a training camp with Bobby Simpson at Higher Ground Softball.  He also attended the ESF Congress for the first time as a BSF delegate and helped persuade them to finally start European Slowpitch Championship.  In 1998, Bob and Mike Jennings were the main organisers of the first European Slowpitch Championship, played in the UK at Brunel University.

In the late 1990s, Bob worked closely with Major League Baseball and set up and ran the fondly-remembered MLB Tournament, which to this day has provided a benchmark for other tournaments to follow.  Bob's relationship with MLB led to the formation of BaseballSoftballUK as the administrative arm of both sports.  Bob represented softball in the negotiations for a joint agency and when it was officially formed in 2000, Bob was appointed the founding CEO.  Bob continued in this position until 2004 and then stepped back into a consultancy position in order that BSUK could afford to continue to employ its other existing staff.  Before stepping  back, Bob had paved the way for increased Sport England funding, hired Tanya Price to establish the Grass Roots programme which provided a benchmark for fastpitch softball development activity, set up the BSUK Council (now Board), and ensured that BSUK was a viable ongoing concern.

From 2004 through 2019, Bob continued to work for BSUK and to provide continual support to the BSF.  He was the reporter of record in magazines, the monthly Softball Bulletin, and on the BSUK or BSF websites for most of the major happenings in British softball since 1993.  He helped organise the BSF Hall of Fame and provided most of the nominations for its first several induction groups.  He helped to organise and run the London Cup International Women's Fastpitch Tournament from 2002 through 2006 (which was the first time the full GB Women’s Team ever played in the UK) and regenerated it in 2011, organising the tournament's last edition in 2018.  He ran the Softball World Series, a perennial favourite event, from its beginning in 1999 through 2021.

After leaving BSUK in September 2019, Bob has worked as a part-time paid Administrator for the BSF.

As impressive as his resume is, if you were to ask Bob what he is most proud of he would say, “overseeing the GB Women’s Team programme through various crises to where it is now one of the top teams in European and World softball.” Back in 1999, Bob reported on the astonishing performance of the GB Women’s Team that reached the semi-final at the Olympic Qualifiers in Parma and made a pledge at an emotional team meeting that he would find some funding for the programme, which had none.  Within a year, with the help and support of the British Olympic Association, funding was secured that gradually built up to a £528,000 UK Sport grant for the Beijing Olympic cycle.

The following year, Bob and Natalie Fox picked up the GB Women’s Team programme after Head Coach Russ Snow and Team Manager Libby Moss had resigned and Bob was the General Manager and sometimes Team Manager for various teams in the programme through 2012, and Secretary of the GB Management Committee (GBMC) from its founding in 2008 through 2019.  Bob has remained as a member of the GBMC since then.

It should be noted that Bob also deserves recognition as a player and Team Manager in his own right.  He played for and captained the Zoo Crew for several years and won three National Men’s Championships, receiving the MVP award at one national final.  In 1990 Bob founded and played for then Advertising League and now London Softball League team SPAM.  He played for several years for the A-grade Slammers and in 1996 was selected to the London All-Stars -- the precursor to the GB Slowpitch Team programme -- as a pitcher, but could never have been selected to the GB Team for lack of a passport!

Bob was last seen on the field in 2011 pitching for the GB Under-19 Team at the Diamond Series.  He also turned out once more for SPAM that year for a one-day tournament where he pitched seven games and batted over .900 for the day.  Few who have played against Bob will forget his wicked high pitching arc or his consistent line drives to the left side.

It is not hyperbole to say that no single person has been more important to the development of softball in this country.

Bob will be retiring from British softball, at the age of 82, following the 2024 BSF AGM.