Player registration for the 2021 season has commenced.
2020 was a difficult year for everyone but yesterday’s announcement that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been approved has given us a reason to look ahead to Spring with increasing optimism that we will be able to play a full baseball season in 2021.
Despite the pandemic, last year the club welcomed 59 new members which could see the club go into 2021 even stronger than the year before.
As members start to register for the 2021 season, they would want to know whether the club has measures in place in the event that Covid-19 disrupts the league schedule and how that would affect membership fees. In July 2020, the UK government approved a Covid-secure protocol to allow baseball games to be played. Despite this, some events in 2021 may be affected if the government imposes stricter Covid restrictions in which case the club will do its best to minimize its own costs and pass the savings back to club members in the form of reduced membership fees. For example, when the 2020 league season was scaled down, membership fees were reduced to £20 for adult league play. In view of the effect of Covid-19 on the economy and on the finances of many families, the club has already reduced its 2021 membership fees by around 12% by removing many peripheral costs and focusing spending on the core elements of the membership packages.
ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES
How many teams will represent Herts in 2021? The next few weeks will be crucial as the number of players registering will determine how many teams will be entered before the league entry deadline; how many will play in Hemel Hempstead and how many will play in London; which leagues the teams will play in.
KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS
(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)
- 7 February – players report for Spring Training
- 27-28 March – Start of the 2021 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
- March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
- 11 April – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
- May – Midweek Evening Baseball commences
- August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
- September-October – Hunlock Series
* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.
Click here for more details of the 2021 membership packages
YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES
As reported earlier today (click to view article), in the coming weeks, we are expecting announcements regarding developments in the club’s youth baseball department and, in particular, details about plans for a new regional youth baseball league which will feature teams from both Herts branches in Hemel Hempstead and in North West London with a regular season schedule of around 12 games for each team. The proposal covers the U15, U13 and U11 age groups, while the Under-17 players will play their regular season as part of the Herts teams in the adult leagues. Around 75% of the regular season games of this proposed new youth league will be at home, with only 2 or 3 away games within a 30-minute drive from the home ballpark.
KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS
(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)
- March – players report for Spring Training
- March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
- May – Start of the new regional youth baseball league season
- May-July – Midweek afternoon/evening baseball sessions
- June – UK Little League Qualifiers
- July – European Little League Qualifiers
- mid-July – Playoffs and Finals of the new regional youth baseball league
- September – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
- September – Herts Futures Tournament
Click here for more details of the 2021 membership packages
WHICH BALLPARK WILL YOU PLAY YOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES AT?
Now that the club has two ballparks, the online registration form will ask players to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide important information to club management when they configure the adult and youth team rosters for the new season.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2021 HERTS BASEBALL SEASON
Those who already have a Herts Online Clubhouse account will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts online Clubhouse and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts Baseball Club and do not have an online account can register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2021 and the membership packages click here or contact us.