Baseball is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and, with the increasing coverage of Major League Baseball on British television, Herts Baseball Club is seeing a huge growth in the number of youth and adult members.
We are one of the largest baseball clubs in the country and are affiliated with the adult and youth leagues of the British Baseball Federation and Little League Inc.
WE WELCOME EVERYONE
With teams in every league of the British Baseball Federation, our club welcomes new adult and youth players regardless of previous experience – from complete beginners to advanced players.
Boys and girls aged between 6 and 14 play in the British youth baseball leagues. Men and women between 14 and 60+ years of age play in the British adult baseball leagues.
HEALTH AND FITNESS BENEFITS
Batting and throwing will build upper-body strength and base-running, coupled with fielding, strengthens legs and core muscle groups. Playing baseball will burn an average of 272 extra calories per hour without the exhaustion associated with sports such as football (soccer), long-distance running, cycling etc.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Our two ballparks are located conveniently for anyone living in Hertfordshire, North West London and the surrounding regions.
FACILITIES
We have one of the best baseball ballparks in the country with two purpose-built diamonds which has hosted the National Baseball Championships. In 2019 we also opened our second baseball venue – Basing Hill Ballpark in NW London. Construction work to develop it into a high standard baseball ballpark commenced in September 2021 and it is being implemented in several stages.
MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE – ADULT LEAGUE BASEBALL (male and female players ages 14 to 60+)
- Venue – Players can choose to be assigned to a team playing its home games either at the club’s ballpark in Hemel Hempstead or at its ballpark in NW London.
- Pre-Season – The Herts adult league teams start Spring Training in or around February with sessions mostly on Sundays.
- HSL – In March and April the Herts teams play in the Herts Spring League involving British teams from around the country. This is the British equivalent of MLB’s Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.
- League Season – The British league season opens in April and league games are played home and away mostly on Sundays until September.
- Midweek Evening Baseball – From May until August the club runs midweek evening training sessions for all its members.
- Playoffs – After the end of the regular season, the top teams qualify and play in the postseason National Playoffs and National Baseball Championships. This usually takes place in September.
- Hunlock Series – In September and October members of the Herts adult league teams are drafted into teams to compete in the Hunlock Series.
- Social – Over the years there have been various social and other events such as Herts Baseball’s International Beer and Food Festival, Awards Night, Bowling Tournament, Annual General Meeting and others.
MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE – YOUTH LEAGUE BASEBALL (for boys and girls ages 6 to 14)
- Venue – Youth players can choose to be assigned to a team based either at the club’s ballpark in Hemel Hempstead or at its ballpark in NW London.
- Pre-season – The Herts youth baseball teams start Spring Training in or around March with sessions mostly on Saturdays.
- League season – The youth baseball league season starts in late April or early May and ends in the middle of July. League games are played mostly on Saturdays in the morning or afternoon. If there is sufficient demand and availability from youth members, games may also be played on Sundays or early evening on weekdays. Games are usually completed in around 2 hours. During the regular season each team plays around 12 league games, 75% of which are at their preferred home ballpark and around 25% are away games played at our club’s other ballpark which is just a 30-minute drive away therefore there will be only around 2 or 3 away trips during the regular league season. The league schedule may also include games versus teams from other clubs while keeping as much as possible to the principle of 75% of games being played at home and only 2 or 3 away trips no more than 30 minutes away.
- Midweek baseball – Between May and July the club runs a number of midweek late afternoon or early evening training sessions for youth team members.
- UK and European Qualifiers – In June and July the club plans to enter youth teams in the UK Little League Qualifiers with the winners progressing through to the European Qualifiers and the winners of that qualifying for the Little League World Series played in the United States. (The membership fee does not cover the Little League qualifers and there will be a supplementary fee payable by those who play in this competition)
- National Championships – In September the club plans to enter its youth teams in the BBF National Baseball Championships with the winners crowned national champions.
- HFT – In September the Herts youth teams enter the Herts Futures Tournament featuring around 20 youth teams from around the country. (this event is subject to scheduling as the National Championships may clash with the HFT)
MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE – U18 BASEBALL (ages 15 to 17)
- During the regular season, youth players aged between 15 and 17 play with the Herts adult teams in the league tier which is most suitable for them. The adult leagues offer baseball to players of all levels – from complete beginners to advanced players.
- Managers of the Herts adult league teams try to assign players aged 15 to 17 to play on the same team alongside players of similar age to make the transition to the adult leagues smoother.
- Therefore, youth players aged between 15 and 17 should register as Adult team members (see above). The club may enter an U18 team in the U18 National Championships and the U17 UK and European Little League Qualifiers and Herts players in that age group will be invited to play in these competitions.
MEMBERSHIP FEES AND UNIFORM
- The annual membership fee is between £49 and £59 for youth league members and between £96 and £220 for members of the adult leagues.
- Members who join the club partway through the season pay a membership fee reduced on a pro-rata basis. For example, if you join with 25% of the season remaining, your membership fee would be reduced to 25% of the full annual membership fee.
- Team equipment such as bats, batting helmets, balls, catchers’ gear is provided free as part of your membership.
- Uniform is not included in the membership fees, unless stated otherwise in the membership package. The different Herts jerseys range from £10 to £59, pants are around £25, baseball caps range between £15 and £20.
- Fielding gloves, uniforms and other products are available to buy at attractive prices from the Herts club shop.
HOW TO JOIN
You can join the club at any time of the year. Our club welcomes new players of any age, gender and ability.
If you decide to join Herts Baseball Club please complete the online registration form.
TRY BASEBALL BEFORE YOU JOIN
To give those who are new to the game and new to our club a chance to try baseball, the first training session is FREE to attend – no costs and without the need to commit for the season.
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you require more details or to find out when you can come to try baseball at an open session, please contact us.