Blog: Ace

Baseball in the UK

Baseball was invented – or evolved – in the United States early in the 19th century, but its roots are international: Cricket and Rounders from England, Oina from Romania, Lapta from Russia, Schlagball from Germany. The first recorded account of a baseball game was in 1838 in Beechville, Ontario, Canada.

Baseball came to the UK late in the 19th century, and was a widespread minority sport, especially in the North of England, between the wars. In 1938, in a challenge series between Britain and the United States that later became known as the first Baseball World Championship, Great Britain won by four games to one.

A gradual decline in the number of Baseball teams and leagues in Britain set in after World War II and continued, with some fluctuations, until the last few years, when the game has begun to grow once again.

Baseball, open to women and girls as well as men and boys, is essentially an outdoor warm-weather game, with the season running from mid-April through mid-September.

The rules and the basic techniques of Baseball are easy to pick up, and, especially at recreational level, Baseball is not a game that requires great athleticism or endurance to play successfully. But whether played recreationally or competitively – and both exist in the UK – Baseball is a fascinating and exciting game with tactical depth and a range of satisfying skills to be learned and enjoyed.

Who Plays the Game?

Baseball has been growing in the UK over the past few years. The sport now has close to 50 clubs and more than 70 adult and youth teams playing in various leagues and divisions, with teams located in cities and towns all over the country, from Brighton to Edinburgh. Teams are more or less evenly divided between northern and southern areas of the country.

Teams are formed through companies, sports clubs, voluntary organisations or simply groups of friends, and the game is also beginning to take hold in many schools, colleges and youth organisations in Britain as an enjoyable summer team sport that’s more interesting and challenging than Rounders but less demanding and more accessible and social than Cricket.

Baseball is now recognised within the National Curriculum and is an ideal sport for mixed or single-sex groups of young people from eight upwards. Tee-Ball, a “short form” of the game, is used with younger children. A youth Baseball development programme called Play Ball! now runs community-based leagues in cities and towns around the country, alongside youth leagues run by the national governing body.

Worldwide, Baseball is played by millions of people in more than 130 countries and has been a Medal Sport in the Olympic Games since 1992 (though the sport has sadly been dropped from the Olympic programme after 2008). The pinnacle of the sport is Major League Baseball, the professional league in the United States, but World Championships and Cups run by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) are important competitions, and the World Baseball Classic, introduced by Major League Baseball in 2006, allows professional and amateur players to compete together for their countries.

Where is Baseball Played?

A Baseball pitch, or “diamond”, can be marked out on any level and reasonably flat area of grass for recreational play – though for play at a competitive level, it is preferable to have certain areas of the infield composed of a specific sand/clay mixture and to build a “mound” in the middle of the infield from which the pitcher throws. The field of play is contained within a right angle, with the sides of the angle approximately 110 metres long for adult play and approximately 70 metres for or youth play.

The only field equipment required is a set of four bases, including a home plate where batters stand to hit the ball when it’s thrown by the pitcher, and some kind of backstop behind home plate, which can be temporary or permanent and made of netting or chain link. Ideally, a fence would also be erected in the outfield, from one side of the right angle to the other, to mark the boundary of play.

How is Baseball Played?

A Baseball team consists of nine players. When on defense, there are four inner defenders (“infielders”), three outer defenders (“outfielders”), a “pitcher” (equivalent to a bowler in cricket), and a “catcher” (equivalent to a wicket-keeper).

A regulation game consists of nine innings (though fewer innings are sometimes played, especially by youth teams), in each of which both teams bat until three players are out. The “visiting” team always bats first in each inning. The team that has scored the most runs after the agreed number of complete innings wins the game. If the score is tied at the end of the last inning, extra innings are played until one team wins.

A typical game of Baseball takes anything from 90 minutes to three hours, depending on the efficiency of the teams.

In Britain, Baseball teams compete in leagues where games – either single games or sometimes doubleheaders (two games) – are usually played on Sunday afternoons. There are also occasional weekend tournaments during the season.

National Championships are held every year in three grades of adult Baseball and two grades of Youth Baseball.

What Equipment is Required?

Baseball doesn’t require a great deal of equipment – though baseball uniforms and accessories are fashionable and some teams sport some pretty fancy gear!

The basic items of equipment, available from specialist suppliers and increasingly from sports shops, are bats, baseballs and fielder’s gloves. Starter Kits containing these items, plus a set of bases, are available at concessionary rates to equip new youth and schools teams.

How Does Britain Rate Internationally?

Considering that Baseball is a small sport in the UK without media attention and with very little funding, our national team is doing increasingly well.

The Great Britain Baseball Team finished second in the European A Pool Championships in September 2007, our best-ever result in the modern era. This has qualified the team to play in the Baseball World Cup in 2009 and may earn Britain an invitation to the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

How is Baseball Administered?

The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is the governing body for the sport in the UK. The BBF carries out a range of administrative and membership services, including organisation of national championships and league competition and provision of insurance and player registration.

An agency called BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), funded by Sport England, is responsible for the development of the sport, particularly in such areas as youth and schools Baseball and the creation of coaching structures and programmes. BSUK provides training materials and manuals for coaching, school curriculum materials, coach training from Levels 1-4, training for teachers and youth workers, player training through courses and clinics and the provision of qualified coaches as requested by groups inside or outside Baseball. The agency also maintains a website for Baseball, publishes Baseball newsletters and runs the British Baseball Youth Academy. For more information on the BBF or BSUK and their services and activities, contact: info@baseballsoftballuk.com.

The BBF’s umpiring arm, the Amateur Baseball Umpires’ Association of Great Britain (ABUA-GB) provides training materials and manuals for umpiring, umpire training to various levels and qualified umpires for league play, at least at higher levels. For more information on ABUA-GB and its services and courses, visit the ABUA-GB website on: www.abuagb.com.

How Can I Start Playing?

Chances are that there are youth or adult Baseball teams near you that will welcome new players. Clinics and training sessions are available at many clubs to help new players learn basic rules and skills.

To find out about Baseball in your area or for more general information about the game, contact: info@baseballsoftballuk.com.

by Ace on 19:39 on 14th January 2008