The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is the

national governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Organised modern baseball has been played in the United Kingdom since the first baseball league began in 1890, with a succession of different governing bodies in place over that time. The BBF was founded in 1987. The BBF is a federated member of both the

Confederation of European Baseball The World Baseball Softball Confederation Europe, known as WBSC Europe, was established on February 10th, 2018 during a Congress of the Confederation of European Baseball and the European Softball Federation in Val d’Europe, France. the establi ...

and the

International Baseball Federation The International Baseball Federation (IBAF; Spanish: ''Federación Internacional de Béisbol'', French: ''Fédération internationale de baseball'') is the former worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as ove ...

. Until December 2020, the BBF was a joint member (with the

British Softball Federation The British Softball Federation (BSF) is the national governing body of softball within the United Kingdom, organising fastpitch and slowpitch leagues and national tournaments and registering players. The BSF is a federated member of both the E ...

) of BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), a sports development agency. The voting members of BBF are the affiliated baseball clubs, life members and the umpires, scorers and coaches associations. The BBF holds an annual general meeting each spring at which the voting members elect an executive board of 11 officials to oversee the body and the sport. All participants ( players,

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

managers Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

, scorers, etc.) with affiliated clubs and the associations are members of the BBF. There are organised youth leagues at 10 to 13 (Bronco) and 14 to 16 (Pony) age ranges. Additionally, British Baseball supports the Play Ball programme run by BaseballSoftballUK which introduces children from 8 to 12 to bat and ball games, usually through school or a local Play Ball scheme. There are also GB national teams for youth players (Cadets under 16s, and Juniors under 19s), as well as an off-season British Baseball Academy for youth players and coaches. For adults, there are a number of leagues and divisions, split by ability and geographical location. These range from the highly competitive to the recreational. In 2008 there were 38 clubs, with 67 league teams, as members of the BBF.British Baseball Federation Members' List
There are also a number of non-league clubs and teams affiliated to British Baseball. British Baseball also oversees the national team of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

BBF Board

The BBF board is elected at AGMs. The current board is comprised as follows: *President: Tom Thornhill *Treasurer: -VACANT- *Secretary: Earl Dix *Senior Affiliated Clubs League Commissioner: Chris Carter *National Team Programme Official: Erik Gustafson *Coaches Commissioner: -VACANT- *Youth Commissioner: Kent Boswell *Officials: Chris Deacon

Past Presidents

*Ian Cox: 2004–06 *Ian Marchment: 2006–07 *Rob Rance: 2007–09 *Mark Salter: 2010–12 *Earl Dix: 2014–16 *Gerry Perez: 2016-21

League structure

Affiliated clubs may enter as many teams as they wish to play in the BBF baseball leagues. There is a senior bracket for adults, and two youth brackets (10 to 13 and 14 to 16). The season runs from April to September each year and ends in the National Baseball Championships (previously referred to as 'Final 4s'). National Youth Baseball Championships are also held for the two youth-age brackets Bronco (U13) and Pony (U16). Championships are hosted by different clubs around the country each year chosen through a competitive bidding process.

References

External links

British Baseball FederationBaseballSoftball''UK'' - the dual sports' development agencyGreat Britain National Baseball TeamCEB Confederation of European BaseballIBAF International Baseball Federation
{{International Baseball Baseball governing bodies in Europe Baseball in the United Kingdom

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Sports organizations established in 1987 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom

BBF Board

Past Presidents

League structure

See also

References

External links