This article first appeared on www.baseballsoftballuk.com
Herts Baseball Club, Brentwood Baseball Club, Manchester Softball League, Fakenham Falcons Softball Club and London Mets Baseball and Softball Club have all been successful in applying for Equipment and Facilities Grants that BSUK advertised earlier in the year.
The money is being distributed by BSUK from a capital funding grant provided by Sport England on the basis of BSUK’s 2009-2013 Whole Sport Plan.
The funding, amounting to up to £5,000 per project, has to be match-funded by the receiving organisations to allow them to develop facilities through projects costing up to £10,000.00. The grants will give these organisations the opportunity to erect backstops, develop infields and generally improve their facilities and the playing experience for their members and players.
It will also allow them to show visiting teams what can be done with a little bit of time and effort and the support of BSUK.
Better Standards
All new facilities being created through these grants will be ready for the 2010 season and will allow teams to enjoy a better standard of play, provide help in attracting new players and allow the staging of tournaments and finals. The upgraded facilities will also provide a more exciting experience for youngsters when clubs and leagues work with local schools.
BSUK National Club Development Manager Paul Wilkinson said, “It has taken a lot of hard work to set up the process for distributing the grants, due to the need to be able to be audited by other agencies. This is the first time we have had money from Sport England to distribute to affiliated leagues and clubs, but hopefully it will not be the last.”
Following on from these small grants, BSUK will soon be looking towards four Regional Centre projects where £100,000 grants will be available to develop tournament and Academy standard facilities in each of the four regions where BSUK’s work is concentrated: London, the South East, the North West and the Midlands.