Category: Youth Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUERS MAY BE ON THEIR WAY TO PENNSYLVANIA

The BBF, which is the governing body for baseball in Great Britain, will commence a consultation process with a view to operating a full Little League programme in this country for the start of the 2009 season in line with the world-famous Little League

There are now more than 7,400 Little League programs in more than 100 countries around the globe.  If the BBF approves this proposal then the Herts Baseball Little League program will become part of the Little League structure.  For more details of the effect this is likely to have on Herts Baseball Little League and youth baseball in this country below you will find a link to the BBF press release.  Put simply, the Herts Baseball Little Leaguers would become a part of a world-wide competition with the opportunity of reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The event is shown live around the world by ESPN in front of the largest TV audience for any youth sports event in the world.

Click this link to read the full BRITISH BASEBALL FEDERATION PRESS RELEASE

 

 

by AspiDimitrov

CRUNCH TIME FOR GROVEHILL BALLPARK DEVELOPMENT

In July 2007 Herts Baseball Club started to put together a plan for improvements of Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and the creation of a second baseball diamond to accommodate the growing number of baseball players and teams in and around Hertfordshire.

 

The club carried out an extensive consultation process with relevant organisations and authorities including Dacorum Borough Council, Herts Sports Partnership, Dacorum Sports Network, Awards for All and others.  In January 2008 Herts Baseball Club presented the plans, which if realized would make Grovehill Ballpark one of the best baseball facilities in the country. 

 

Large part of the project is to be funded by a government grant with the rest of the funds provided by the club and its members.  The Awards for All grant application has been submitted but in order to make a decision whether or not to approve the grant, Awards for All and everyone connected with Herts Baseball Club and British baseball is awaiting a decision from Dacorum Borough Council.

 

Provided that Dacorum Borough Council gives the go-ahead for the project, this would result in well over £10,000 being invested in improving Grovehill Playing Fields, which certainly would be fantastic news for users of the facility and local residents alike, who undoubtedly have noticed the vigour which Herts Baseball Club has brought to what is considered to be a neglected part of Hemel Hempstead.

 

Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “Many see Grovehill as a developing area in Hemel Hempstead, and for those of us connected with our baseball club this is our home and we want to make it better.  If we achieve our targets, in 5 years’ time our club expects to have 5 adult teams and 16 Little League teams with a total of 400 adult and youth players.  But we need to develop our baseball facilities if we are to accommodate this unprecedented growth in baseball in Hertfordshire”.  Dimitrov added: “Over the years Dacorum Borough Council have been fantastic to our club and we hope they will recognize the positive effect which our club has on the local community.”

 

While awaiting a decision from Dacorum Borough Council, Herts Baseball Club has been working hard to raise funds for the second stage of development which will involve the resurfacing of the turf designated for the second baseball diamond.  The head of sponsorship at the club, Marty Cullen, has already signed a contract for the club with BMW and MINI as official sponsors of Herts Baseball Club and the Herts Baseball Little League, respectively.  The value of the sponsorship is a four-digit sum which has brought the club closer to reaching the target for stage 2 of development.

 

Additionally, a Fundraising Forum has been established by members and volunteers connected with the club and this is already bearing fruit with various fund-raising events already scheduled this year.

 

These are exciting times for Herts Baseball Club and for the local community with a rising number of residents getting involved.  To accommodate this growth the club is relying on receiving a go-ahead from the local government.  Members of the club are holding their breath in anticipation of the decision from Dacorum Borough Council.

 

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL STARS TO APPEAR ON BBC THIS SATURDAY

BBC Radio ThreecountiesMembers of Herts Baseball Club will be paying a visit to the BBC Radio studios this weekend.  They will appear on the Saturday Breakfast Show on BBC Three Counties Radio at around 8:45am.  You can listen to BBC Radio Online

 

The show is expected to preview the 2008 baseball season for the three Hertfordshire teams – Herts Falcons, Herts Hawks and the Herts Raptors and of course will look forward to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League which will be an unmissable event for boys and girls in and around Hertfordshire this summer.

 

Baseball has never been so popular in Hertfordshire and Herts Baseball Club is beginning to attract a lot of attention from the written press, radio and TV.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER SELECTED BY GREAT BRITAIN NATIONAL TEAM

 

The Herts Baseball Little League was created only 9 months ago and already one of its players has been selected by the Great Britain National Team.  10-years old Marty Cullen Jr from Hitchin in Hertfordshire received a confirmation earlier today from the GB National Team that he will be a member of the GB Juveniles this season.

 

This comes after several weeks of highly competitive tryouts at the Great Britain baseball academy in Upper Heyford.  The tryouts were attended by nearly 100 players from around the country and despite being one of the youngest in his group Marty Cullen Jr proved to be one of the top performers.  He was evaluated in several positions and is expected to continue his development as a pitcher and a shortstop.  Apart from attending the regular training sessions and practice games at the Great BritainBaseballAcademy, Marty Cullen Jr can look forward to the Kenko Tournament in Florence, Italy from the 23rd August – 31st August 2008.

 

Baseball may not be the most popular sport in the United Kingdom, but this is a good example of the opportunities available for kids in and around Hertfordshire to play the game of baseball and if they show commitment, desire and talent then there is a clear path for them to progress all the way to the highest level including earning the honour of representing their country.

 

The timing of this news is perfect as it coincides with the build-up to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League.  The players, most of whom are aged between 7 and 12, will soon be starting their pre-season training to get ready for Opening Day in June.  It promises to be one of the top events for kids in and around Hertfordshire this summer and Herts Baseball Club is very pleased about the growing number of parents who have contacted the club to pre-register their children for the Little League on the official website www.HertsLittleLeague.com

 

The Little League coaches saw many talented kids during last year’s summer camps and the hope is that Marty Cullen Jr will be the first of many Herts Little League players to be selected to play for Great Britain.  The last Herts player to play for Great Britain was Lee Manning from Hemel Hempstead.  Lee is now one of the heads of the Little League and will be the manager of the Red Sox team in 2008 so he will be in a great position to pass on his knowledge to the kids and hopefully they too will be able to represent Great Britain.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUERS TAKE PART IN UNVEILING COUNTY SPORTS NETWORK

 

Over the years Herts Baseball Club has played an important part in the community throughout Dacorum Borough Council where the club’s baseball complex is based.  In 2003 the club’s contribution was acknowledged with the presentation of the “Club of the Year Award” by Sir Henry Cooper.

 

The club is keen to increase its role in the County and last month took part in the creation of the Dacorum Sports Network.  The unveiling of the Sports Network was done by the Mayor of Dacorum, Cllr Brian Ayling, who was particularly enthusiastic about the potential good the DSN could do for sport within the borough.

 

“This network in Dacorum has been so meticulously planned and developed that it's going to hit the ground running,” he said.  “Already there is a local structure for interaction between sports groups in Dacorum, reaching out into the broader spectrum of Hertfordshire and even nationally – that's the way to start.  “What particularly enthuses me is that this organisation here in Dacorum and nationally has no age or physical demarkations.  “What a wonderful concept and what a wonderful tribute to those involved. “I believe we are in a great position to contribute to the community of Dacorum and to represent the aims and aspirations of all the sports people (within the borough).”

 

The official DSN logo was unveiled by the Mayor in front of the local media.  The line up also included two members of the Herts Baseball Little League (See extract from the article in the Hemel Gazette).

Lee Manning and Jo Smith receive

2003 Dacorum Club of the year Award

from legendary boxer, Sir Henry Cooper.

by AspiDimitrov

(VIDEO) IF YOU BUILD IT, PEOPLE WILL COME

 

Today, Hertfordshire Baseball Club unveiled exciting plans for the development and expansion of its baseball field.

 

Grovehill Ballpark, which is located in Hemel Hempstead on the outskirts of London, has been the home of the Falcons since 1996. 

 

Over the last twelve months Herts Baseball Club has seen a dramatic increase in new members joining the club and is on track to introduce a third adult team to the British Baseball League in 2008.  This, combined with the start of the Herts Little League, has meant that Grovehill Ballpark is too small to accommodate the club’s rapid expansion.

 

 

 

Plans are already in place to build one of the best baseball complexes in the country.  The project is to be implemented in several stages which include the creation of the second diamond, building of permanent outfield fence for both baseball diamonds, and finally, steps will be undertaken for the long-term improvement of the turf quality of both fields.

 

On Little League Game Days the ballpark will be turned into a baseball paradise for the kids with a capacity of as many as 6 Little League fields all of which would have permanent backstops.

 

 

If Herts Baseball Club is selected to host the BBF Youth or Adult National Finals then there is the additional option of creating a temporary third field, which would also have a permanent wall covering around 60% of the outfield boundary.

 

by AspiDimitrov

LITTLE LEAGUE EXECUTIVES CONFIRMED

Herts Baseball Club confirmed its intentions to actively pursue the continuation and expansion of the Herts Baseball Little League by appointing the “masterminds” of Herts youth baseball – Lee Manning and Marty Cullen – as Vice Presidents-Little League Operations for the upcoming 2008 season.

In a sneak preview of the upcoming Little League events, Cullen and Manning indicated that “Some great things are in store for the kids in 2008. The Little League will provide a great way for kids between 7 and 13 year olds to enjoy baseball throughout the summer, whilst providing that experience with a keen competitive edge. The club will release more details soon so stay tuned to www.hertsbaseball.com”

this article was posted on behalf of the author, Kal Dimitrov

by AspiDimitrov

HAWKS BACK IN THE SERIES

The Herts Hawks put on a solid performance to take a surprise 17-7 win against the Herts Falcons in game 3 of the Kyle Hunlock Series.  Play of the day, and of the Series so far, was Pete Kikel’s Grand Slam in the third inning which put the game beyond the Falcons.  Their lead in the Series has now been reduced to 2-1. 

 

In the Little League game, the Blue Jays won a dramatic 15-13 game.

 

Sunday’s festivities also included the 2007 Hertfordshire Home Run Derby.  38 participants entered the competition including mums and dads of the Little League kids.  Hall of Famer, Stuart Boast, won the 2007 Derby with 5 Home Runs.  In joint-second place were Dan Kerry (3 HR) and the sensational Andy Ringrose (3 HR).  It was Andy who turned out to be the star of the show.  He had never played baseball before and his preparation for the competition was to watch and learn from his children, Alex and Georgia, who are members of the Little League programme.  There were other parents who showed a lot of enthusiasm and indicated interest in giving baseball a try with the Hertfordshire adult teams for the start of the 2008 British baseball season.  This would be fantastic news for the club as it continues the great club tradition of having parents and their children playing for the same club.

by AspiDimitrov

SEPTEMBER BASEBALL FEVER IN HERTFORDSHIRE

The 2007 British Baseball Regular Season may be over, but we have a great lineup of Postseason baseball coming up this September.  It will include not only the Herts Falcons and the Herts Hawks but also Hertfordshire Little League kids as well.

 

2007 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

(Events for the kids are shown in red)

 

Saturday, 1 September

·         11:00 6th Little League Summer Camp

·         12:00 Herts Falcons vs Strathclyde, Semi-Final, Division 1 Final 4

 

 

Sunday, 2 September

·         14:00 Herts Falcons vs Milton Keynes Hurricanes or Humber Pilots (if Falcons win on Saturday), Final, Division 1 Final 4

 

Sunday, 9 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00am to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s).  All Little League kids and parents are invited.  (No need to pay Summer Camp fee.  Participation is FREE)

·         12:00 Photocall – Falcons, Hawks, Little League kids and parents together. 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME1 Falcons @ Hawks

·         15:30 to 18:00 GAME2 Falcons @ Hawks

 

 

Sunday, 16 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00 to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 13:30 HOME RUN DERBY

·         13:30 to 16:00 GAME3 Hawks @ Falcons

·         16:30 to 19:00 GAME4 Hawks @ Falcons

 

Sunday, 23 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00 to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME5 Hawks @ Falcons (if necessary)

·         15:30 to 18:00 GAME6 Falcons @ Hawks (if necessary)

 

Sunday, 30 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00am to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME7 Falcons @ Hawks (if necessary)

 

Food and Drinks:

Hot dogs and cold drinks will be sold at the halfway point of the kids’ game (11:00) and between the first and the second games of the day’s Falcons vs Hawks Series.

 

Price List: Hot Dog (Price £0.50), Cola or fruit juices (Price £0.50), Beer (Price £TBC).