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ADULT SOFTBALL
Mixed Slowpitch is the most popular form of softball in the UK although Fastpitch is also played and over the years Meteors has enjoyed much success with both our male and female Fastpitch teams. If you are interested in Fastpitch please contact Martin Leslie direct so we can provide you with the latest information. (Martin Leslie (W) 020 7629 1716, martin@londonmeteors.co.uk).
Mixed Slowpitch is a very versatile game with five men and five women per team and is a 'hitting game' rather than with the emphasis being on the pitching and striking out of batters as can be found in Fastpitch and Baseball. There's much more action in Slowpitch for all players and another reason for the popularity of Slowpitch is the social aspect, although it can still be very competitive and at top level is played to a very high standard. There is one league match a week, any night from Monday to Thursday. Games generally start around 7.00 pm. The season starts early May and runs for fifteen weeks. There are 7 home games and 7 away games. All away games are played at grounds which should be relatively easily reached by public transport.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for players at all levels - from experienced players to people with some degree of skill and experience or inexperienced people with good potential. We are also looking for commitment - players who are able to play in all, or at least most, of the League games, as well as some tournaments. We also welcome partners, family and friends who may not want to play but would like to be involved or part of a Club that is actively involved in all areas of softball. As we run several of our own tournaments there are lots of opportunities for anyone to get involved, be it helping with fundraising, organising, taking photos, cooking on the bbq, transporting kids to tournaments etc... or just generally helping out occasionally when needed.
FEES
Fees for playing League games is £70 per season plus £1.50 per game, collected after each game, to cover the cost of umpires. Fees cover affiliation fees to the London Softball Federation (LSF) and British Softball Federation (BSF), Third Party Insurance cover, pitch hire, balls, end of season Club trophies and awards and general admin costs. Tournament costs are additional, but London tournaments are generally around £15 for a weekend.
UNIFORM
You will need to buy a Club shirt at £10. You will also need black pants or shorts, and white socks which are to be provided by yourself. Club caps are also available at £10 but not mandatory.
EQUIPMENT
We can provide gloves for beginners at the spring training sessions but if you are selected for a team you will need your own glove. These range in cost from around £35 upwards. There should be plenty of bats around if you would prefer not to buy your own. A reasonable bat costs around £60-£70 although cheaper ones can be found. Trainers are adequate footwear at beginners' level but you will probably want to purchase a pair of cleats if you wish to play on a more serious basis. These must have moulded rubber soles and must not have steel or screw in spikes. We can advise you further upon contact or an authorised supplier will be able to correctly inform you. Meteors' preferred supplier is Jack Akers, Spartan Sports, Cornwall Works, Cornwall Avenue, London N3 1LD, tel: 020 8349 2622, fax: 020 8343 2123 but you will be able to buy anything you need or want at any of the tournaments.
ADULT SPRING TRAINING AND SELECTION
Around mid-March we hold three spring training sessions on Sunday afternoons in Islington. Potential new players are invited to join our existing players for coaching and friendly games. At the end of these sessions selections are made depending on the number of spaces we have available on our teams. We cannot guarantee places on the Club but it is rare for us to be so over-subscribed that we need to turn players away. However, should that be the case, we can provide details of other teams who are looking for players.
TOURNAMENTS
The softball calendar is a very busy one and a number of one day and weekend tournaments are held every weekend all over the country. There are four major adult tournaments (played over two day)s that we always play in – three “Grand Slams, and the Mixed Slowpitch Nationals. In addition, we generally play in two or three other weekend tournaments.
UMPIRING
All games in the GLSML must be umpired by qualified umpires. Each team therefore has to provide at least two qualified umpires each season. 2-day weekend courses are held prior to the season to enable this. Meteors positively supports the development of umpires and would like to hear from any potential players interested in becoming an umpire. Fixtures are organised so that teams' fixtures do not clash with their umpiring commitments allowing players to be able to play one night, and umpire on another. Umpires currently receive £14.00 per game to cover expenses.
Further opportunities are also available for umpires to become BASU (British Association of Softball Umpires) qualified so as to be able to umpire at the many weekend tournaments - a great way to earn some extra cash in a sport you enjoy.
IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED
If you want to learn more or get involved in any capacity then give us a call or send an email to one of the contacts below. We would be delighted to hear from you...there's lots of fun and enjoyment to be had in this rapidly growing minority sport which is relatively new to the UK.
METEORS SOFTBALL CLUB MAIN CONTACTS (click on a name to send email)
New Member Contact- Katie Pearce
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE METEORS SOFTBALL TEAMS ARE FULL THIS SEASON.
CONTACT THE TEAM EARLY IN 2008 FOR TRAINING AND TRY-OUT TIMES.
BASEBALL
London Mets Youth Baseball Club
For all enquiries about playing youth or adult baseball please contact Neil Warne 07770 381308 or mail Mets@LondonMeteors.co.uk
OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS
BaseballSoftballUK c/o Major League Baseball Ariel House 74a Charlotte Street London W1T 4QJ Tel: 020-7453 7055 info@baseballsoftballuk.com www.baseballsoftballuk.com
London Softball Federation www.londonsoftball.com
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