British Baseball Academy season gets underway

The British Baseball Academy will hold its first national training session this Sunday, November 1, at Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire.

The British Baseball Academy is a BaseballSoftballUK programme that exists to ensure that all players with the appropriate levels of commitment have an opportunity to practice and improve their baseball skills.

Meanwhile, the Northern and Southern Regional Academies got off to a good start ahead of the National Academy, as Academy coaches ran practices in both the North and South of England on Sunday, October 25.

National Academy

The British Baseball Academy runs through the winter from October to March, with National Academy sessions taking place once a month, currently at the National Sports Training Centre at Upper Heyford. In addition, Regional Academies are also held monthly in the South and North of England.

The Academy season will culminate in the annual Academy Series, in which the most senior and committed members of the Academy are given the chance to kick off the baseball season with a weekend of high level competition. The Academy Series is currently scheduled for the weekend of March 27-28, 2010.

The British Baseball Academy offers a unique opportunity for young players from all corners of the country to come together in one location to play and receive quality coaching from some of the top coaches in the country. Instruction ranges from the teaching of fundamentals and skill development to game integration plus strength and conditioning.

The Academy coaching staff includes coaches from British National League Champion Bracknell Blazers, British Pony Champion Bracknell Tornadoes and the British Bronco Champion London Mets as well as featuring players and the Strength and Conditioning Coach from the 2009 Great Britain World Cup Team. The British Academy Director is Tom Gillespie, who currently serves as the European Academies Consultant for Major League Baseball International.

Schedule and Age Groups

The practice schedule for this Sunday is:

Under-12s: 12:00-4:00 pm.
Under-15s & Under-18’s: 9:30 am-2:30 pm.

U12s:
For the 2009 and 2010 Academy season, this group will be for players born in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

U15s:
For the 2009 and 2010 Academy season, this group will be for players born in 1997, 1996 and 1995.

U18s:
For the 2009 and 2010 Academy season this group will be for players born in 1994, 1993 and 1992.

There is also an Under-25 “development” category for players born in or before 1991. For the 2009 and 2010 Academy season, this group will be for players born in 1991 or before.

Fee and Directions

There is an annual fee of £50 to participate in the British Baseball Academy. This fee provides each member with an Academy T-shirt and cap and enables participation in all sessions that are offered. The Academy is non-profit, and all its coaches and administrators are volunteers. The Academy is supported financially by BaseballSoftballUK and Major League Baseball International.

For questions regarding the British Baseball Academy, please contact Academy Administrator Wendy Van Niekerk.

Directions to Upper Heyford can be found on the Academies page on the BSUK website.

Regional Academies

Lymm High School near Manchester and Bracknell Baseball Club hosted the Regional Academy sessions on October 25 that included youth players from Cartmel, Halton, Bolton and Manchester in the North and Bracknell, Horsham, and London in the South. The coaching staff included Paul Vernon, Rob Rance and Brendan Cunliffe from the National League Champions Bracknell Blazers, Great Britain World Cup player Will Lintern and Major League Baseball’s European Academy Consultant Tom Gillespie.

With these sessions being the first of the winter and coming a week ahead of the National Academy, much of the time was spent focusing on fundamentals and re-establishing the teaching points that will form the basis of players’ development this winter. However, not everything was ground balls and bullpens, as the players also had a chance to play a quick game of indoor baseball before the end of the session.

Quality Experience

After the Regional Academy sessions, BSUK Regional Coach and Academy Head Coach Will Lintern said: “I’m so happy to be coaching again at the Academy. It’s my favourite part of the winter and almost makes it worthwhile that the British weather forces us indoors for much of practice. It’s great to be able to work with so many players from so many clubs and its nice to see familiar as well as new faces. It shows that at the British Baseball Academy we provide a quality baseball experience that players want to come back to and also bring along their friends.”

The British Baseball Academy is open to all players based in the UK between the ages of 10 and 18. The membership fee of £50 secures attendance at all regional and national practices.

Any questions regarding Regional Academy sessions should be addressed to Wendy Van Niekerk.