The Basing Hill Ballpark project has been given a lifeline in the campaign to secure funding but the odds are still stacked heavily against it with the deadline looming.

In March, Herts Baseball Club came very close but missed out on receiving funding from the Mayor of London for the project.  Despite securing pledges from 125 other backers, the original crowdfunding target of £55,000 was just too far to reach without the support from the Mayor. 

That campaign’s deadline passed last week so it has now ended. All 125 pledges have been cancelled and no money will be taken from the bank accounts of those who made a pledge.

Over the last few weeks the club has been exploring ways to keep to the original timeline so that the playing field can be re-graded, levelled and the grass seeds can be planted this September, while the later stages of the project can be implemented when the club secures the required funding. If this cannot be done in time for the September grass-growing season, the project would be delayed by at least 12 months which means that the growing number of adult and youth baseball teams would have to play one more year on the same grass surface which is not fit for purpose.

The club has now launched a scaled down crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive with a target of £21,409 which covers this first phase of the project. 

It has pitched to the London Borough of Barnet who have just made a £4,000 pledge which has given the project a lifeline.

It is now up to the club to mobilize its members and fans as well as the community and businesses around Basing Hill to see if they can reach the target in the limited time that remains.

If the club succeeds, Basing Hill Ballpark will not only bring baseball and softball into the heart of the community but will also revitalise this small, but cherished, outdoor space. The park will become a family oriented setting with organised events for the whole community in a Covid-secure environment.

The campaign must reach the target by 16 August 2021.  The money pledged will be received by the club only if the project hits the target.  If it doesn’t, all pledges will be cancelled.

If the target is reached, work on the project is expected to commence in September and the resurfaced playing field and the new grass should be ready in time for the 2022 baseball season.

For more information about the campaign and to make a pledge, go to the Basing Hill Ballpark (Phase 1) project on Spacehive.

The Basing Hill Ballpark crowdfunding campaign has received a boost with the news that its pitch to the London Borough of Barnet was successful and they have made a pledge of £4,000 to the project.

Herts Baseball Club suffered a setback in March when they learned that they narrowly missed out on funding from The Mayor of London‘s Make London Fund.

Since then the club has been in discussions with businesses and organisations and, although the campaign is still far from its fundraising target, today’s news may have a positive effect on the discussions which are taking place with other potential backers.

The pledge from Crowdfund Barnet means that, to date, the campaign has received pledges from 125 backers amounting to £16,528 which is 29% of the £55,804 target.

Businesses, sponsors and other backers who may be interested to support the project can contact the club to discuss ways in which this could be a good fit and beneficial for them. They would have the additional assurance from the fact that the club passed the project viability verification process carried out by the independent organisation Locality, which was a prerequisite to pitch to the Mayor of London.