BaseballSoftballUK, the development and performance agency for baseball and softball in the United Kingdom, has today announced several new staff hires and roles. This announcement follows the realignment process announced in April 2024 and follows an extensive search and interview process. Members of the British Baseball Federation and British Softball Federation Executive Boards were involved in the interview process for several of the new hires, and BaseballSoftballUK would like to acknowledge their role in this process.

“Baseball and softball take place thanks to the tireless efforts of the couple thousand volunteers at the coalface of the sports locally and nationally. BSUK has revamped and recruited to provide the support needed by our sports’ people,” said CEO John Boyd. “I’m very excited to see what positive difference this staff team can make over the coming months and years. I would like to thank the baseball and softball community for being so welcoming of new faces and so positive about the future. Together, we can seize this opportunity to grow and improve baseball and softball in this country.”

New Staff

Aled-Rhys Howell - Head of Development

Aled joins BaseballSoftballUK from Table Tennis England, where he served as part of the Departmental Management Team, and as a board member for Table Tennis Wales. With an extensive career in sport development, he brings experience with eLearning, webinars, workshops, and coaching conferences to baseball and softball, along with a strong track record in safeguarding. He will work across all areas of baseball and softball development, leading BaseballSoftballUK’s Development team starting 9th September 2024, and can be reached at aled.howell@bsuk.com from the 9th September 2024.

Scarlett Williams - Head of Commercial & Marketing

A former elite netball athlete, Scarlett has been a part of transforming women’s team sport and has a great understanding of the business of sport. She has applied this within business development settings. A graduate of Bath University, Scarlett founded Freerider Collective, where she also acted as CEO, working with notable brands including John Lewis and Next to create long-lasting commercial partnerships. Growing Freerider Collective to more than £1.3 million in revenue, she also brings extensive digital marketing and content creation experience to BSUK’s commercial efforts.

In this role, Scarlett will take responsibility for sponsorships and partnerships, with a key role in the commercial development of Farnham Park. Williams will join the staff on 2 September and will be reachable at scarlett.williams@bsuk.com from the 2nd of September 2024.

Orla Murphy - Club and Coach Officer

A native of Cork, Ireland, Orla joins BSUK from Trinity College Dublin Sport, and has extensive experience in sport, both as a coach and educator. A PhD Candidate in Youth-Sport Coach Education specialising in physical literacy for children aged 8 – 13 at the University College Cork, Orla has been a physical education teacher, giving her an understanding of both the philosophy and delivery around coaching.

She and her crew of club and coach staff will work extensively with the grassroots of the game –local coaches, clubs and club officials. Her focus will be on helping to upskill and improve practices across both key areas. She started with BSUK last month and can be reached at orla.murphy@bsuk.com.

Simon Gibbs - Head Groundskeeper & Site Manager

A groundskeeper with extensive experience, Gibbs started with BSUK on 8 July. Simon is familiar with maintaining baseball diamonds, with extensive experience at the ACS International School Cobham, as well as large sites, having also worked and now volunteering at Wembley Stadium for the FA. His role is new to BaseballSoftballUK and gives Farnham Park its first dedicated Head Groundskeeper and Site Manager in Complex history.

Simon will be assisted this summer by Alex Deacon –a longtime member of the British baseball community, National Baseball League and GB Baseball player. Alex will be on-site most days at the Complex in July and August.

Simon can be reached at simon.gibbs@bsuk.com. For events at Farnham Park, including the management of events, please email events@bsuk.com. For field hire at Farnham Park, please contact farnhamparkbookings@bsuk.com.  

Jacqueline Agyei – Event Coordinator & Development Officer

Jacqueline joins BaseballSoftballUK with an extensive background in events and operations. Working with a variety of charities and businesses, including the NBA, her experience covers all elements of the event process, from logistics to marketing to execution. Her dual role will cover all of BaseballSoftballUK’s events, including events at The National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park, and will assist both BSUK and the Federations in their event management. Her Development duties will focus on youth and education, including primary schools and university programmes, with a particular focus on community development and engagement. She will start with BSUK on 2 September and can be reached at jacqueline.agyei@bsuk.com. For events, please contact events@bsuk.com from the 2nd of September 2024.

Tim Stride - Company Bookkeeper and Secretary

Tim rejoins BaseballSoftballUK, on a part-time basis and will play a pivotal role in ensuring corporate governance and partner compliance of the organisation, with an additional focus on financial record keeping and reporting. He will also organise and attend board, subcommittee and advisory group meetings, draft minutes, and handle communication with regulatory authorities and our partners. Tim started with BSUK on 10 July and can be reached at Tim.stride1@bsuk.com

Staff in New Roles

Alan Le Marquand - Event Caretaker

Alan will caretake the Event Coordinator role until Jacqueline starts on 2 September. Alan will work across all of BSUK’s company events, including the London Indoor Softball League at The 108 in Brent Cross, multiple events at Farnham Park, and several new events across the UK. Alan can be contacted via events@bsuk.com

Future Announcements

Further announcements regarding new appointments will be announced at a later date, with exciting information coming regarding coach education, club development, and commercial opportunities in the sports. For more information, please visit BaseballSoftballUK.com.