British Baseball Federation
Encyclopedia
The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is the national governing body of baseball
within the United Kingdom
, founded in .
BBF is a federated member of both the Confederation of European Baseball
and the International Baseball Federation
. BBF is the joint owner (with the British Softball Federation) of BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), a sports development agency.
The voting members of BBF are the affiliated baseball clubs, life members and the umpires, scorers and coaches associations. The BBF holds an annual general meeting each spring at which the voting members elect an executive board of 11 officials to oversee the body and the sport. All participants (players
, coaches
, managers
, umpires
, scorers
, etc) with affiliated clubs and the associations are members of the BBF.
Youth Baseball : There are organised leagues
at 10 - 13 (Bronco) and 14 to 16 (Pony) age ranges. Additionally, British Baseball supports the Play Ball programme run by BaseballSoftballUK which introduces children from 8 to 12 to bat & ball games, usually through school or a local Play Ball scheme. There are also GB national teams for youth players (Cadets under 16s, and Juniors under 19s), as well as an off-season British Baseball Academy for youth players and coaches.
Adult Baseball : There are a number of leagues and divisions, split by ability and geographical location. These range from the highly competitive to the recreational. .
In 2008 there were 38 clubs, with 67 league teams, as members of the BBF. There are also a number of non-league clubs and teams affiliated to British Baseball.
British Baseball also oversees the national team
of Great Britain
.
President Mark Salter
Secretary Mark Mullins
Treasurer Daniel Lally
Development James Pearce
National Teams Marty Cullen
Officials Darrin Muller
Coaches Mark Meredith
League Commissioners :
Northern Senior Ray Brownlie
Northern Youth John O'Boyle, Larry Hansford
Southern Senior Aspi Dimitrov
Southern Youth Paul Vernon, Earl Dix
Past Presidents:
Rob Rance 2007-09
Ian Marchment 2006-07
Ian Cox 2004-06
The season runs from April to September each year and ends in the National Baseball Championships (previously referred to as 'Final 4s'). National Youth Baseball Championships are also held for the two youth-age brackets Bronco (U13) and Pony (U16). Championships are hosted by different clubs around the country each year chosen through a competitive bidding process.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
within the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, founded in .
BBF is a federated member of both the Confederation of European Baseball
Confederation of European Baseball
The Confederation of European Baseball , is the governing body of baseball within Europe. The CEB was founded in 1953 with 5 members, which were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. As of today, there are 38 members, excluding Armenia...
and the International Baseball Federation
International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
. BBF is the joint owner (with the British Softball Federation) of BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), a sports development agency.
The voting members of BBF are the affiliated baseball clubs, life members and the umpires, scorers and coaches associations. The BBF holds an annual general meeting each spring at which the voting members elect an executive board of 11 officials to oversee the body and the sport. All participants (players
Baseball positions
There are 9 fielding positions in baseball. Each position conventionally has an associated number which is used to score putouts...
, coaches
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
, managers
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, umpires
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
, scorers
Official scorer
In the game of baseball, the official scorer is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices...
, etc) with affiliated clubs and the associations are members of the BBF.
Youth Baseball : There are organised leagues
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
at 10 - 13 (Bronco) and 14 to 16 (Pony) age ranges. Additionally, British Baseball supports the Play Ball programme run by BaseballSoftballUK which introduces children from 8 to 12 to bat & ball games, usually through school or a local Play Ball scheme. There are also GB national teams for youth players (Cadets under 16s, and Juniors under 19s), as well as an off-season British Baseball Academy for youth players and coaches.
Adult Baseball : There are a number of leagues and divisions, split by ability and geographical location. These range from the highly competitive to the recreational. .
In 2008 there were 38 clubs, with 67 league teams, as members of the BBF. There are also a number of non-league clubs and teams affiliated to British Baseball.
British Baseball also oversees the national team
Great Britain national baseball team
The Great Britain national baseball team is the national baseball team of Great Britain. It is governed by the British Baseball Federation, which is a member nation of the Confederation of European Baseball.-History:...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
BBF Board
The BBF board is elected at AGMs held each March. The current board is comprised as follows:President Mark Salter
Secretary Mark Mullins
Treasurer Daniel Lally
Development James Pearce
National Teams Marty Cullen
Officials Darrin Muller
Coaches Mark Meredith
League Commissioners :
Northern Senior Ray Brownlie
Northern Youth John O'Boyle, Larry Hansford
Southern Senior Aspi Dimitrov
Southern Youth Paul Vernon, Earl Dix
Past Presidents:
Rob Rance 2007-09
Ian Marchment 2006-07
Ian Cox 2004-06
League structure
Affiliated clubs may enter as many teams as they wish to play in the BBF baseball leagues. There is a senior bracket for adults, and two youth brackets (10 to 13 and 14 to 16).The season runs from April to September each year and ends in the National Baseball Championships (previously referred to as 'Final 4s'). National Youth Baseball Championships are also held for the two youth-age brackets Bronco (U13) and Pony (U16). Championships are hosted by different clubs around the country each year chosen through a competitive bidding process.
See also
- British Baseball Hall of FameBritish Baseball Hall of FameThe British Baseball Hall of Fame is endorsed by the British Baseball Federation. Its purpose is to honour the persons who have excelled in playing, managing, and serving the sport of baseball in Great Britain....
- Baseball in the United Kingdom
- Baseball awards #United Kingdom
- Baseball World Cup
External links
- British Baseball Federation
- BaseballSoftballUK - the dual sports' development agency
- Great Britain National Baseball Team
- BBF Baseball Unofficial website for the Northern and Scottish leagues
- CEB Confederation of European Baseball
- IBAF International Baseball Federation