Herts youth players have begun training for a 2019 season which could be the biggest ever for the club – and for British baseball as a whole. And as an extra bonus if they sign up before the end of the month, our youth stars will get their Herts baseball cap for free!
A lot of the focus so far for Herts in 2019 has been on the adult side of the club, where two new teams have been announced at the new field in North-West London. The Falcons of the NBL are also the centre of a promotional and fund-raising drive, as they are playing in European competition in June for the first time in the club’s history.
But we shouldn’t forget that the Herts Under-11 coach pitch side also reached a national final too last year! The All-Stars won two games at Farnham Park, including a stunning walkoff victory over London Sports, to get to the final.
Once there, they performed admirably against the Brighton Fireballs, and held their heads high in defeat. Herts also fielded under-13, under-15 and under-17 sides at the Youth National Baseball Championships, showing both strength and depth.
The youth sides are vital to the future of Herts and — with that in mind — the club is now pushing hard to get boys and girls signed up for the year ahead.
To help club managers plan for the season, we are keen to get kids involved now. Anyone who signs up for 2019 before the 28th of February will get a Herts cap thrown in for free. So get on to it quickly!
To maximise our offering for our youngest players, Herts has decided to shuffle our budget and make sure we can secure high quality coaches for the youth teams. This has meant an increase in the membership fees of between £6 and £36 — although some remain unchanged.
The club continues to subsidise youth fees, so membership remains tremendous value for money – especially compared with other youth baseball programmes around the country which have higher fees.
Many players had already registered for 2019, including both returning players from last year and brand new recruits. The Herts computer magicians have reset the system so those families can now decide whether to accept the revised fees.
They can then simply register again with their existing clubhouse user name and password. That means that all players can take advantage of the free cap offer, even if they had already signed up.
Youth players have already been taking part in our first indoor training sessions at Berkhamsted Leisure Centre and will progress to outdoor sessions.
During the year, coaches have plans for competitive games against other British clubs. In past years, these have included teams from Brighton, Leicester, Guildford and London.
Herts offers playing opportunities for boys and girls from ages 4 to 18. Youth baseball will also be available at the new expansion operation at Basing Hill Ballpark in Northwest London.