Baseball
Did you plan to play baseball this year?
The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is the National Governing Body of baseball and they have given us this exclusive article to tell you some breaking news about baseball in the UK!!
Did you know that there are over 600 youths involved in baseball as part of clubs, teams and schools across the country? Youth baseball is available for girls and boys, regardless of skill or experience.
Baseball is getting more and more press coverage and so more people are learning about it and wanting to play it. In June 2019 the New York Yankees played the Boston Red Sox for the London Series in front of over 100,000 fans at the Olympic stadium over two days.
When is baseball played?
British Youth Baseball starts with offseason (indoor) training, then moves outdoors in late March or the beginning of April. There is offseason indoor instruction available through BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK) Academy for Baseball and Softball for youths.
When teams begin training outside in April, the BBF offer a fun Mix-n-Match experience whereby any youth can come out and play baseball. Their Mix-n-Match events are always a great way for families to meet other families and are the first steps to make friends for life.
During the months of April and June, BBF members youth teams begin league qualification to take part in the UK Little League Qualifiers Tournament littleleague.org. The UK Little League Qualifiers is the UK showcase of top baseball youth action to go on and compete in Poland for the right to play in the Little League International World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania USA in August.
How do you get involved?
There are a number of baseball clubs throughout the UK. You can access the BBF interactive map here https://maps.esp.tl/maps/_British-Baseball-Federation/pages/map.jsp?geoMapId=707251&TENANT_ID=225820
You can look up a club, learn about their youth baseball programmes and get involved.
The largest youth charity for baseball in the United Kingdom is LondonSports, which offers baseball from ages five until 17 years of age in central London.
A variety of baseball clubs offer introductory courses on how to play the game and club leagues from LYBL, London Mets, London Archers, Guildford, Hertfordshire, Brighton, Manchester, Carmel Valley, Essex, Leicester, Hull, Northants, Kent Buccaneers and more.
Are there National Youth teams?
Yes!! There are Great Britain Baseball National Teams for U12, U15, U18, U23, Seniors and Women's Team. Any young person who holds a British passport or can obtain one is eligible to try-out.
In two short years, our U12 team achieved success by qualifying for the European Championships consisting of the top national teams across Europe. Unfortunately, COVID19 caused the cancellation of this year's tournament but the future of British Baseball looks really exciting!
In club youth teams the London Archers went on to compete in the PONY Baseball international tournament last year and won the European and African Qualifier. Afterwards, a first, the Archers went on to play in the United States and compete on TV against the world's best teams.
In the autumn, the BBF host the Youth National Baseball Championships where all the teams come together and play for the National Championships across five age categories.
BIG BASEBALL NEWS!!!!
We are honoured that the BBF have chosen bsporty to announce new programmes for youth baseball:
BBF Youth Grants
BBF Youth Grants are now available! Those who apply and qualify will receive a financial grant to pay for equipment and club fees. The aim is to assist youths who want to play baseball but cannot afford it. Their grant package will allow youths in financial need not to miss out.
Youth Digital Baseball Training
Youth digital baseball training is now available for a limited amount of qualifying youths.
As your age group is so amazing at using digital tools to learn, the BBF has partnered with Elite Baseball Training https://www.elitebaseballtraining.com from Chicago and KMotion https://www.k-motion.com/k-coach/k-baseball/
KMotion is a digital tool which offers youths the ability to video themselves hitting a baseball. The small clip, 15 seconds, of a youth’s swing is then uploaded to the KMotion app. Afterwards, the professional instructors at Elite Baseball Training, headed by Justin Stone the director of hitting at a professional baseball team, analyses the data provided by KMotion (swing launch angle, speed) and provides the youth insights to perfect his or his swing. The advice is practical, convenient, state of the art and available to youths who receive a licence. British youths can now get some of the top baseball training from the UK through KMotion and Elite Baseball Training, which has been reserved for elite US baseball programmes.
ALWAYS ASK YOUR PARENT OR CARERS’ PERMISSIONS FIRST!
US SCOUTS LOOK TO THE U.K!
BBF has also teamed up with the Prep Baseball Report (PBR) https://www.prepbaseballreport.com out of the United States. PBR Prep Baseball Report has evolved into one of the US biggest and most respected independent scouting services, for youths who are trying to earn a scholarship in the US. Our aim is to bring PBR to the UK in 2021 and showcase our youth athletes. PBR will then develop a digital portfolio of a youth so they can be showcased to colleges in the US. There are over 3000 schools which offer baseball and the ability to earn a degree from a US university. Baseball is a means to get a degree and further your passion for playing the sport overseas. PBR make it easier for British youths passionate about playing at the next level to earn that experience and hopefully a scholarship.
The BBF hope young players and families come out and learn more about the great sport of baseball.
Want to see some of the Youth Nationals from last year? Coverage of Days 1 and 2 are available here.
Visit www.britishbaseball.org for more information!
With thanks to the BBF for the exclusive article and use of the videos.
