As Herts baseball club prepares for a big year, it has added another new face to the coaching staff.

Andy Roberts has joined the board as the Head of Under-13 baseball, and will coach a promising side into the season ahead. Herts is still looking for more paid coaches to complete its youth set-up.

Roberts — primarily a catcher — joined the Herts club during the 2018 season, and played for the Falcons in the NBL. He was on their roster at Farnham Park as they took on the London Mets for the title.

This year he is also likely to be helping out the newly formed Herts Londoners in the Triple-A division.

Andy Roberts already has a rich history playing baseball. Growing up in Arizona, he has played in regional teams, city leagues and rec leagues and was set to play college ball before an injury setback. His first experience of coaching kids came with Under-7 coach pitch.

“This year, I really want to instil the fundamentals of baseball”, he says. “Not just on how to hit the ball and field the ball, but about what do with the ball when you get it. And start showing how it’s a game of chess that everyone can contribute to”.

“I believe the U-13 kids are at that crucial age where they really decide how passionate they want to be about this sport. So teaching them these fundamentals – and how to improve on them – will help keep the excitement going and help them aim for higher goals.”

Roberts hopes to set the Herts youth on a path to the NBL team of the future – a goal shared by the Falcons coaches. They have already been monitoring the indoor practice sessions.

“I want the kids to have fun”, says Andy, “but I also want them to learn why so many people love this game”.

Herts is now looking to add the final pieces of its coaching puzzle, and has more paid roles available in the youth set-up. The club is keen to recruit managers for the Under-8 teeball programme; the Under-11 player pitch side; and the Under-15s.

The Herts budget has been modified this year to allow for the recruitment of quality coaches to move the programme forward. Anyone who is interested should contact the club.

Lee Manning, the youth commissioner, says: “It’s a brilliant opportunity for someone to really make their mark on the teams, and help us take the next step up. We want to offer a quality 2019 is a big year for Herts baseball, and the kids are definitely part of that.”

Herts will be fielding a range of youth teams during 2019, from Under-8s to Under-18s. The aim is to offer baseball training and competitive games for as wide a range of boys and girls as possible.

In past years, Herts teams have taken on sides from as far afield as Brighton, Essex, Guildford and Leicester.

Last season, the Herts Under-11 coach pitch side reached the final of their category at the Youth National Baseball Championships at Farnham Park.

One of the veterans of that team, Evan Strong-Anderson, has been chosen for the Team UK coach pitch Under-10 side for the 2019 season. This project draws players from a range of British youth sides to take part in a SuperCup in Prague at the end of May.

Around 30 players took part in selection events in Milton Keynes in recent weeks, and Evan was chosen in the final 12. He has worked hard to develop his natural skills, and shows great potential.

Herts was pleased to see a number of our youth players were involved in the Team UK academy sessions, taking advantage of a scheme which is a great addition to British baseball.

The team’s general manager Matt Crawshaw said the overall quality had been extremely high. He is hopeful this year’s crop of talent can build on trophy wins in 2017 and 2018.

Team UK will take part in a series of fixtures on the Bank Holiday Mondays in April and May before heading to the Czech Republic.

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.

In a press conference on 8 May 2018 London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, announced that one of the most legendary rivalries in sport will come to London on 29 and 30 June next year when the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will play in a two-game regular-season series at the London Stadium, the centrepiece of the 2012 Olympic Games. This announcement has prompted Herts Baseball Club to accelerate the timetable for the creation of a baseball programme and venue in North West London. Over the years the club has had a lot of inquiries from this area from players keen to try the sport, but it’s been hard for them to get to Hertfordshire.

The games in London are part of MLB’s efforts to market Major League Baseball around the globe and to promote the development of baseball as a world and Olympic sport. They will present a unique opportunity to grow the game of baseball and softball in this country and London in particular, and Herts Baseball Club is determined to make the most of this occasion.

The Club has been based at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead since it was founded in 1996. In 2013 the club recognised that in order to accommodate the growing number of new players who want to play baseball, it needed to expand. “Around 30% of our members are based in North West London and our data also showed that we receive many enquiries from potential new members from that part of London, however many of them have not been able to start playing because the public transport connections from North West London to our ballpark in Hemel Hempstead are very poor” said Club President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “currently there is no other club located in the North West quadrant of London which offers adult and youth baseball so the natural progression for the club was to expand by establishing a baseball programme in this densely-populated area.”

In view of the impending arrival of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 2019, the implementation of the project has been speeded up and the club has announced a series of events in North West London which will give the local community the opportunity to come and try baseball. Events have already commenced with open sessions for boys and girls, men and women of all ages at Hampstead Heath Extension. For details of upcoming sessions and how to take part click here. Those who enjoy these sessions and wish to play on a more regular basis will have the opportunity to join the Herts adult and youth teams playing in the various leagues of the British Baseball Federation.

Hampstead Heath is the picturesque setting for baseball in NW London this summer.

Baseball has been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the news of MLB’s arrival in London next year is an opportunity which Herts Baseball Club is relishing.

For more information about the project, the club or playing baseball with Herts contact us.