BaseballSoftballUK's Two Sports One Ambition strategic plan was launched in August 2020, with one of the key strategic priorities to support to grassroots organisations by making them stronger, safer and sustainable. Two key features of the strategy are:

  • Helping teams/clubs/leagues integrate into, and become, an important part of the local community

  • Taking a lead role in enabling the creation and improvement of appropriate local facilities across the UK.

BaseballSoftballUK dedicated up to £50,000 over five years (2021-2025) to enable clubs and leagues to build and upgrade local facilities across the UK through a new Facilities Fund. 

This page contains information and guidance on the Fund.

Who could apply?

BaseballSoftballUK's Facilities Fund was open to any baseball and softball not-for-profit club, league or association in the UK officially registered to the BaseballSoftballUK Development Charter.

What we could fund:

The BaseballSoftballUK Facilities Fund was specifically designed to help clubs improve the fixed assets of their facilities. 

The funds could be used for goods such as:

  • backstops
  • dirt
  • fencing
  • dugouts
  • pitching mounds
  • ‘permanent’ storage, i.e. on-site shipping containers

The funds could not be used for non-fixed assets such as:

  • L-screens or other portable training nets
  • Rakes/landscaping equipment
  • Portable infrastructure, i.e. portable benches or folding chairs
  • Bases
  • Vehicles

Successful Applications

First Round

BaseballSoftballUK announced the first five recipients of the Facilities Fund, with £12,050 being directly invested in grassroots facility development projects from April 2021.

The successful applicants in 2021 were as follows:

  • Birmingham Baseball Club - £2,000
  • Bracknell Baseball & Softball Club - £2,000
  • Bristol Baseball Club - £3,800  
  • Guildford Baseball & Softball Club - £3,000
  • Wolverhampton Baseball Club - £1,250        

Second Round

BaseballSoftballUK announced the following awards for the 2022 round of funding:

  • Brighton Baseball Club - £2,000
  • Herts Baseball Club - £2,851.63
  • Leicester Diamonds & Leicester Blue Sox (joint application) - £2,250  
  • Norwich Iceni Baseball Club - £2,096.61
  • Worcester Baseball Club - £360       
  • Wragby Warhammers Baseball Club - £1,000

Third Round

BaseballSoftballUK announced the following awards for the 2023 round of funding:

  • Croydon Baseball Club – £2,600 towards a total project of £5,364.
  • Guildford Baseball & Softball Club - £4,000 towards a total project of £9,668.
  • Milton Keynes Softball League - £1,900 towards a total project of £4,000.
  • Norwich Icini Baseball Club - £1,000 towards a total project of £2,038.
  • Wragby Baseball Club - £500 towards a total project of £1,000.

Fourth Round

BaseballSoftballUK announced the following awards for the 2024 round of funding:

  • Manchester Baseball Club - £3,808.15 towards a total project of £7,674.38
  • Manchester Softball Club - £3,924 towards a total project of £7,848