| Plymouth Baseball Club secures £5000 youth programme grant |
Plymouth Baseball Club, which has long carried the torch for youth baseball in the far South West, has secured a £5000 grant from the Devon Community Foundation to help the club function and grow over the next two years.
The funding will cover field rental, BBF affiliation costs and insurance and will subsidise fees for young players so that they can play the sport virtually for free, apart from a nominal fee of £10 per year per child for club registration.
History of Success
The grant has been secured by Tug and Angie Wilson, who took over Plymouth Baseball Club in 1999 and won the PlayBall! World Series Championship that year. At one stage, the club had 13 players in GB youth squads and two players in the USA.
In 2003, the club had an all-weather baseball diamond and a second grass diamond built by Plymouth City Council with part funding from the National Lottery.
The club has worked closely with over 24 primary schools a year, delivering five-to-seven weeks of introductory baseball, culminating since 2003 in an annual Schools World Series.
The club also runs local leagues for both Bronco and Pony age groups, but struggled badly to find and retain players in 2008 and to play games in atrocious weather conditions. But the grant should provide new life in 2009 and beyond.
Pulling Together
Angie Wilson said: “Without the hard work put in year after year by our volunteer coaches, first aiders and admin staff, the club would have folded years ago. But with our volunteers pulling together and having faith in each other, we have managed to secure this Grass Roots grant of £5000 from Devon Community Foundation.
"This will enable us to continue for the next two years, providing coach education and first aid courses and most importantly providing young people 16-and-under with the opportunity to ‘Play Ball for Free’.”
Any girl or boy 16 or under in the South West interested in playing baseball at Plymouth Baseball Club or who wants further information on training or game days should contact Angie and Tug Wilson on 01752-514579, 07746-101170 or by email.
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