Having masterminded the logistical operation of getting thirty squad members to the Baseball World Cup and back to their respective homes around the globe, we caught up with the General Manager of the Great Britain baseball team, Alan Smith, for a quick debrief:
What was the World Cup experience like?
Alan Smith: The experience was as exciting and enjoyable as one might expect of a World Cup competition in any sport. The stadia were excellent and the atmosphere generated by the quality of the teams and the knowledgeable crowds was electric. It was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience that lived up to and exceeded all my expectations and one that I was immensely proud to share with a fully committed GB team.
How do you felt the team fared against such strong opposition?
Apart from one game in the first round when we were soundly beaten by Nicaragua, we remained competitive in every game until the late innings. There is no shame in losing close games to world-class teams like Cuba (6-0), Japan (9-7) and Puerto Rico (5-4). All in all this was an unbelievable achievement by a GB team that never knew when it was beaten.
Can you pick out any particular achievements for the team?
To have been one of only four European teams to qualify for the World Cup was in itself a significant achievement [subsequently, other European countries were invited to participate as co-hosts when the the 2009 event was expanded]. To progress to the second round, a feat that few apart from those in the squad believed possible, was huge. To then be competitive against seven of the world’s top 16 teams was fantastic. The fact that our lack of funding meant that all this was achieved with minimal opportunity for preparation was all the more impressive. Head Coach Stephan Rapaglia, his coaches and the players deserve an enormous amount of credit and respect for proving that they belong among the world’s elite.
What do you feel about the future of the GB Baseball programme and its relationship to domestic baseball in Britain?
I would like to think that the progress made by the senior team over the past six years, moving from barely avoiding relegation to the European “B” pool in 2003, to winning the silver medal in Barcelona in 2007, and then competing in the top 16 in the 2009 World Cup would signal a rosy future for the GB national programme. I would also like to think that such success would energise and invigorate domestic baseball in Britain, in particular by improving the quality of the domestic leagues to a level that would enable GB-based players to hone their skills to international standards without the need to travel overseas to play their baseball.
However, with the exception of the GB youth programmes, which are moving in the right direction, the rest of the domestic baseball set-up still has a long way to go to match Europe and the rest of the world, both in the development of bespoke baseball facilities and the quality of league play. To achieve the necessary improvement will require strong and unified direction from the BBF board and the commitment of all members of the domestic baseball community. Hopefully, the increased awareness created by the success of the national team will be the catalyst for such improvement, as it will be virtually impossible to nurture or even sustain a viable national programme in the current environment.
What are your feelings on the lack of funding available to the GB Baseball programme?
The situation described above would in itself be enough to destabilise any minority sport, but the challenge facing the GB programme became even more acute following the government’s decision to withdraw all funding from the GB elite programme when the International Olympic Committee removed baseball from the Olympic programme in 2005, and the programme has struggled financially ever since. Despite repeated requests to reconsider its position, the government has steadfastly refused to provide funding to baseball, and any prospect of future government funding went out the window when the IOC decided not to reinstate baseball as an Olympic sport.
In light of all the above I fear that the future for the Great Britain national programme is, sadly, far from rosy.
Links
- GB Head Coach Stephan Rapaglia’s full statement on the World Cup experience and the future of GB Baseball
- A round-up and reflection on GB’s World Cup campaign
- Complete reports from each of GB’s World Cup games are here at greatbritainbaseball.com
- Bob Fromer encourages us to celebrate the achievements of the GB national teams (BaseballSoftballUK site)
- Results, standings, television listings and general news from the official Baseball World Cup site
- Facebook fan page – look for the ‘Great Britain National Teams’ page
- Matt Smith’s round-up of GB’s World Cup campaign on the BaseballGB blog site
The BBF, BSUK and Great Britain Baseball take no responsibility for the content of external internet sites.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals concerned and do not necessarily represent those of BaseballSoftballUK and the British Baseball Federation.
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