Wednesday 12 September 2012

Birmingham Softball League - a big success


On the 21st June the Birmingham Bobcats Softball Club launched the first mid-week softball league in the city since the 1990s.  The league ran for six weeks and was viewed as a pilot development programme to establish whether a league would be viable in Birmingham in 2013.  Needless to say the event was a huge success and preparations are currently being made for next season.   

The league consisted of four teams - the Harborne Hammerheads, the Minotaurs (inspired by the iconic Bull Ring statue), the Roosters and the Weasels.  The teams were originally only formed of members from the Bobcats Softball club, which in June included just over 40 members.  This was initially quite risky as the club had an unequal ratio of male and female members and the teams were based on everyone turning up each week.  However the league turned out to be the best recruitment campaign the Bobcats have ever undertaken. 

From the word go the League attracted both new and former players.  It also appealed to those in the Baseball community and to softballers from other leagues – such as Manchester and the East Midlands.  There was even an article about the BSL in the Manchester Softball League’s Bases Loaded.  The enthusiasm, excitement and support provided by everyone involved was immense and it is clear that the creation of the BSL will be beneficial not only to those in Birmingham and the West Midlands region, but also to the wider softball community. 

Although the league did suffer some teething problems, (predominantly associated with a lack of female players and the horrendous weather) but there was nothing that could not be address before next season.  More importantly the league reached out to those who were either not interested in tournaments or were unable to participate at weekends, it developed strong team bonds, encouraged more people to become involved in the administrative side of the league (i.e. promotion, recruitment etc), and inspired more coaches and umpires. 

The league was won by the Minotaurs, who played extremely well all season.  They were lead by Quentin Young, former head coach of the Birmingham Bobcats, as his last hurrah before moving to Uzbekistan.   

The league would not have been possible without the support of Will Lintern, Midlands Development Manager for BSUK, the Birmingham Bobcats Softball Club and Committee and all those who participated from other leagues.  However, a special thank you should go to Jim Kent whose excitement and graphic design propelled the BSL and made it such a success and to Kate Page-Smith for managing and organising the event.

If anyone is interested in participating in the BSL in 2013 please contact the Birmingham Bobcats Softball Club who are very keen to hear from you. http://www.westmidsoftball.com/

Manchester Main Tournament 2012


On the 4th and 5th August the Birmingham Bobcats entered the Manchester Main Tournament.  Unlike earlier in the year the Bobcats chose to play in the REC grade rather than the Comp.  This was partially due to the Manchester League having some of the best teams in the country, but also it was an opportunity for the Bobcats to get some new kitties involved in tournaments and it was felt that their first experience should not be against first division players.

A new member of the team (but not new to softball) was Dan Langlands.  Dan heard about the Bobcats through ex-baseball colleagues and very quickly signed up with the Minotaurs for the BSL.  He has since become a dedicated Bobcat and he is not only attending every practice and tournament but he is also contributing to the administration of the club by producing articles and creating posters.  The Bobcats are incredibly thankful to him for all his efforts so far and we hope he remains an integral part of the club. 

Here is Dan’s account of the Manchester Tournament:

As one of the newest members to the Bobcat family I felt honoured to be picked to play in the Manchester Tournament. Although I’m not new to the sport I still felt nervous and wanted to bring my ‘A’ game for the team.

However when I got to the tournament I received a warm welcome from the team as if I had been there for years. That only helped my confidence and got me prepared for a tough tournament ahead.
 
Although the Bobcats didn’t win the tournament we still came 6th out of 20 teams, even with some players that have never played in a competitive softball tournament before.

I put this down to a bunch of great people who came together to work as a team; helped by some great leadership from Kate Page-Smith, and makes me proud to be a member of the Bobcats Softball Team.

Dan Langlands
Here are some photos from the Tournament: