The following requirements apply to all BBF, BSF and Development Chartered organisations and cover all formats and disciplines of baseball and softball. These requirements are effective from 1st March 2026.
An organisation is defined as: a single team club; a multiple team club; an adult baseball or softball league; a national team; or a regional or national baseball or softball body.
General Regulations:
- All organisations are required to appoint a Safeguarding Officer.
- In a tournament environment, the host organisation is responsible for safeguarding; any team that forms for a single tournament is therefore covered by the host's safeguarding provision.
- If a team forms for a foreign tournament, they should be aware of the travel regulations and have an appointed welfare rep. Link to travel
- The table below details who needs Safeguarding training and DBS checks
- All Safeguarding training, DBS certificates and First Aid certificates should be uploaded to Sport:80, (link to instructions). Reminders will be sent from the system when these documents need renewing – every 3 years for Training, every year for DBS.
- Join the BBF using this (link) to upload your documents
- For others, a free account can be created using this (link) for uploading your documents
Anyone without the necessary training or checking can be refused access to any activities until it is completed and verified. BSUK will perform spot checks as needed and inform Federations of non-compliance if found.
Safeguarding Requirements: Who Needs What
| Role | Safeguarding training Level 1 |
Safeguarding training Level 2 |
DBS Checks |
| All Coaches | YES | YES (BBF)/Optional (BSF) | YES |
| Coaches with Youth Players | YES |
YES |
YES |
| Softball Captains/Team Managers | YES | Optional | YES |
| Softball Captains with Youth Players | YES | YES | YES |
| Umpires | YES | Optional | If meet criteria |
| Safeguarding/Welfare Officers | YES | YES | YES |
| Club Officials | YES | Optional | Role dependent |
| National Team Management | YES | YES | YES |
| Federation Officials | YES | Optional |
Role dependent |
The rollout of coach membership will make Safeguarding Level 2 mandatory for ALL coaches (in 2027).
The policy is live effective from 1st March 2026. However, in the first year, we recognise that not everyone will have been able to be trained or checked before the effective date of policy. The policy includes time periods for obtaining the necessary checks and training from date of registration/affiliation and this will be applied as follows:
- Register with the Federation or appointed to position before 1 March 2026 (for the 2026 season). You must have done your DBS checks and Level 1 training by 31 May 2026 and your Level 2 training by 28 Feb 2027
- Register with the Federation (or be appointed to a new position) after 1 March 2026. You have 3 months to obtain Level 1 training and a DBS check and 12 months for your Level 2 training from the date of your registration/appointment.
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