The following article was first published by britishbaseball.org
The executive board of the British Baseball Federation has appointed Sam Dempster to be the new Head Coach and Performance Director for Great Britain Baseball. Dempster served as Assistant Coach of the Senior National Team in 2010, helping former skipper Pat Doyle lead the squad to an eighth-place finish in July’s European Championships. The BBF board has signed Dempster to a three-year appointment, which means he will be at the helm as the British men make another pass at the European A-Pool and, perhaps, the MLB World Baseball Classic. Dempster is the Head Coach at Durham College in Ontario, Canada, and spends his summers working as MLB Envoy to Britain and Europe.
Also appointed to a three-year post is Jason Greenberg, returning as General Manager and Director of Operations for the GB programme. Greenberg first joined the staff in April 2010, and works full time in British baseball as Marketing, Communications and Events Manager for BaseballSoftballUK.
“There is no better coach to lead this team into the new decade,” said Greenberg. “Sam is dedicated, loyal, intelligent, honest, unbelievably hard working… and most importantly he knows baseball and he knows how to win. He already has the respect of our GB players and the domestic baseball community, and I have no doubt he will both strengthen the foundation of our programme while pushing our Senior Team to new heights.”
These staffing decisions were reached by the BBF board’s National Teams Committee of chairman Marty Cullen (National Teams Programme Official), Mark Salter (BBF President) and James Pearce (Development Officer), with the counsel of former GB coaches and staff.
Other recent assignments include Will Lintern as Head Coach of the GB Junior squad, and Brendan Cunliffe as GB Cadets Head Coach. (read more here)
No GB Baseball staff member receives a salary, and all are volunteers working entirely in their free time.
SAM DEMPSTER
The newly appointed GB Head Coach and Performance Director brings an impressive array of experience and credentials.
Dempster has been the only coach that the Durham College men’s baseball program has ever known, as he was fashioned the programme for its inaugural season in 1992. Under Dempster’s guidance, the Durham baseball program has been a contender in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) for the last 19 years, recording only one losing season. Since 1995, the team has qualified for the Ontario Championship finals in all but one year; while Dempster has gone on to compile an impressive overall record of 280-180 and a conference record of 185-108.
In January of 2007, Dempster was awarded the Julio Puente Envoy International Coach Award by Major League Baseball at the American Baseball Coaches Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. The prestigious award is presented by MLB for unselfish, dedicated and passionate work in growing the game of baseball.
“Coach D” works every summer as an MLB Envoy, touring throughout Africa and Europe on behalf of Major League Baseball (MLB) with the goal to promote and grow the game of baseball worldwide. Dempster has also organized the Lords efforts of donating baseball equipment and uniforms to several different European Baseball Clubs.
In addition to his lead role at Durham, Dempster is also an associate Canadian scout for Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and previously a scout for the New York Yankees.
In April 2010, Dempster was inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame.
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