Casual Development Officers

Casual Development Officers

Baseball Queensland are looking for people who have the desire to promote baseball to local Primary School students throughout Term 3 (July 2022 – September 2022). Delivering entry level programs to primary school aged students whilst promoting local baseball clubs is the main objective of this role. Your passion, commitment and drive to get kids physically active is important to us – not necessarily an intricate understanding of the game.

To be successful in this role you will have strong communication skills with the ability to relate positively with children and adults along with a demonstrated ability to adapt to program changes including session time, type and group size.

Remuneration                 $120/ day (9am-3pm)

(Requisite equipment and apparel will be provided by Baseball QLD)

Selection criteria

Essential

–          Driver’s licence and own transport

–          *Working with Children Check- Blue Card

–          *Current Baseball Coach Accreditation

–          Available to work during school hours

* BQ can assist in applying for your Blue Card and/ or achieving a Level of Baseball Coach Accreditation.

Desired Characteristics

–          Good communication skills

–          Can adapt the delivery of a program to the needs of participants

–          Highly organised

–          Well presented

–     Reliable and punctual.

To express your interest or for further enquiries please contact:

Gareth Jones

P: 07 0404 820 703

E: gareth@baseballqld.asn.au 

VALE TIM BASSINGTHWAIGHTE

VALE TIM BASSINGTHWAIGHTE

In the 50 odd years I have been closely involved with the sport of Baseball, I have had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing men and women whose contributions to the game have been unforgettable. From my personal perspective, one of those characters stands head and shoulders above the others. Tim Bassingthwaighte, a friend, colleague and mentor, was one of a kind.

The impact Tim has had on the game, not just in Queensland, but across Australia, has been enormous. As a player at Club, State and National level, he was outstanding. But it was throughout his Administrative career that Tim built a reputation that ranks him at the very top of Baseball’s leaders. While quietly spoken, Tim possessed that aura of intelligent confidence that drew everyone’s attention when he spoke. In an era before computers, internet and social media, Tim’s communication skills proved prized assets for Baseball Queensland. (Spare a thought for someone who repeatedly had to sign his name with that many letters in it!!) I have, to this day, kept a couple of his typed letters to Far North Coast Baseball from the 1980s – a period of remarkable growth for baseball, under the leadership of Tim and his good friend, Kel McBeth.

My first close contact with Tim occurred at the start of that decade. Queensland at this time, had never brought home the elusive Claxton Shield. In the previous summer, under the coaching of a young American shortstop, David Howard, Queensland had posted results solid enough to suggest that the drought might soon be broken. Tim and Kel chose another American, Mike Young, to lead the team in Sydney to its maiden Claxton Shield win. It was also my first Executive Officer experience in Queensland colours – and that appointment also was down to Tim Bassingthwaighte’s advice. The celebrations on our return to Brisbane were memorable, to say the least. But at one of them, a dinner at Virginia Golf Club, my fondest recollection was the look of satisfaction on Tim’s face as the Shield was held high. Typically, though, he said to me
that night, “This is only the start. We have to do this over and over again. And at junior level as well!”

Those words proved prophetic, as Queensland went on to dominant Claxton Shield campaigns through the 80s and 90s and the corresponding surge in playing numbers throughout the state lifted the profile of the game in the eyes of the public. The players and staffs of those teams will agree I’m sure, that our success in those years had Tim Bass written all over it.

Baseball in the Lismore region has long struggled with the difficulties presented by border affiliation. Our long association with Baseball Queensland (while located in NSW) made access to government funding and other services problematic. Tim, over a period of nearly thirty years, always came up with creative solutions to those problems and never lost sight of the importance of FNC Baseball and its players to Queensland’s success in national championships.

The Tim Bassingthwaightes of this world only come along once or twice in a person’s lifetime. For Baseball’s sake, I hope the next model is looming in the near future. The game is crying out for him/her!! My last contact with Tim was at the MLB Australian Academy at Palm Meadows. We spoke for an hour or so about the years we worked together, laughed about the many arguments and differences, and spoke fondly of the characters and experiences we shared.

Tim’s Life Memberships at club, state and national level, accurately reflect the level of esteem in which Baseball holds him. The passing of years often dulls the shine on people’s achievements. I hope we never allow this to happen in Tim’s case. I will certainly never forget him. He has been a true Legend of the Game.

Written by Bill O’Sullivan
Life Member, Far North Coast Baseball Association
Baseball Queensland Hall of Fame.

To view the service held for Tim please click the link below

https://www.oneroomstreaming.com/login

Email: kedron.qld@simplicityfunerals.com.au

Password: 3J68JZ

 

Factors for families to consider about programs offered by independent organisations.

Factors for families to consider about programs offered by independent organisations.

BQ Pathway programs stand alone as the only Baseball Australia endorsed and supported pathway programs available in Queensland. We also understand that having a wider choice of programs provides you with more opportunity, and we see that as a good thing. We would like to provide you, as our members, with some advice and things to consider when selecting programs in which you will participate. 

Download the document here.

LLPC Survey Review

LLPC Survey Review

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey for the Little League Pathway Championships. Feedback from participants and parents allows us to acknowledge where Baseball Queensland (BQ) can improve events moving forward.

Survey responses were positive with the average rating for each question being above 7.5/10. Additional comments were provided to help us improve for future events. Rating results from specific questions are as follows:

How would you rate your overall experience of the QLD LLPC?
8.44 Average Rating

How would you rate the playing facilities provided for the QLD LLPC?
8.82 Average Rating

How would you rate the amenities provided for the QLD LLPC
8.07 Average Rating

How would you rate the communication between Baseball Queensland and yourself for the QLD LLPC?
7.98 Average Rating

How satisfied were you with the level of competition and gameplay within your division?
7.77 Average Rating

How satisfied were you with the level of umpiring throughout the tournament?
7.68 Average Rating

Additional text comments were provided about the Facilities, Competition, and Umpiring. These comments are summarised as follows:

Facilities:

Baseball Queensland acknowledges the fantastic effort of Redcliffe Padres Baseball Club in helping to deliver the largest ever baseball tournament in Australia. The introduction of Intermediate League, Rookie Ball and Teeball added breadth to the tournament and this also means additional workload for the host venue.

A common comment shared was in regards to bathroom facilities and the lack there of as well as these facilities not always being maintained to an expected standard. This is important feedback which will be addressed for future tournaments.

Shade continues to be a challenge, particularly with growing spectator numbers. We rely on community groups, clubs and regions to assist in providing shade and appreciate the support provided in this area. We include information on social media to alert spectators to limited shade availability so that they can bring additional resources.

A greater range of food options was requested by some respondents. This will be considered alongside the practicalities of catering to a large player and spectator group.

Competition:

With the increased number of participants, we have created competitions at two levels for Little League, Junior League and Senior League – Division 1 and Division 2. Feedback suggested that clarity on how these divisions were run would be helpful. We intend to continue to communicate the qualification requirements for each division to the regions.

Division 1 games are played to innings with no time limit. This rule comes from Little League International and is required for teams to qualify for Nationals and potential Australian representation at the Little League World Series. We recognise that some games may take longer than others and this can have an impact on game start times. Every effort is made to provide a draw that has the athlete’s wellbeing in mind.

Division 2 games may be run to innings or to time, with the intent to maximum amount of games and participation for players. Timed games may mean that some games conclude mid inning with mechanisms in place to ensure equity in determining the final outcome. When developing the draw, consideration will be given for the potential for games to be stopped owing to low light, with strategies implemented to try and minimise this occurring.

Regional teams use the same database that clubs use when players register. Club are responsible for checking birth certificates at the time of registration. This ensures that players available to the regions are utilised in their natural age group.

With the largest Little League (LL) Division 2 competition taking place this year, BQ will be reviewing how the competition was run, the draw, timings and the number of tournament days for this division. Future growth and development of this competition is important to provide tournament baseball experiences for a wider range of players who will be able to grow their skills and create lasting memories.

Umpiring:

Umpire decisions will always be contentious as half those in attendance are likely to disagree with all their calls. While it would be optimal to have officials free from any real or perceived conflict of interest, it is often not practically possible in junior sport as the pool of officials prepared to officiate for a given event rarely extends beyond those who are related to the participants. In an environment that relies ‘voluntold’, it is difficult to ensure all officials are free from perceived conflicts of interest.

It is also important the we do not allow the integrity of the umpire to be challenged. BQ would like to be in a position where we do not have perceptions of conflicts of interest being levelled at umpires, but traditionally we have been left with little choice. We can address this issue by  growing the capacity and capability of umpires – we need more officials. You can help by upskilling yourself to attain the necessary qualifications, then volunteer to umpire at an event. This will help us to build on the small number of umpires willing to officiate games where they currently have no other interest thus helping avoid perceptions of conflicts of interest. To this end we will discuss this topic with the Regions to develop initiatives to identify and train all those who are willing to help.

 

Again, a big thank you to the Redcliffe Padres Baseball Club and the Redcliffe Softball Association for hosting the event and facilitating a very enjoyable weekend of baseball.

SQWBL Registrations are now open

SQWBL Registrations are now open

SQWBL ( South QLD Winter Baseball League ) Registrations are now open for current Club Members and New Players.

Southern Queensland Winter Baseball League (SQWBL Inc) is a social league promoting grassroots baseball in Brisbane between May-August each year
> Male and Female 15+ Years of age at Season start.
> Games are played North and South side of Brisbane.
> 3 Grades of League ability available.

Register at this Link : https://reg.sportlomo.com/club/baseballaustralia/baseballqld/sqwbl
For more information please visit : https://sqwbl.org/

LLPC Survey Review

QLD LLPC Online Survey

The Queensland Little League Pathway Championships was the largest baseball event run in the country and we believe that players had a fantastic time with fantastic games, making new friends and growing as baseball players.

With this in mind, we want to create a space for anyone who was involved to share their experience and offer any insight that could be helpful in building this tournament for the future.

Please click the link below to complete the short survey. We appreciate your time in doing so and plan to share the details within the survey answers asap.

Click here to complete the online survey
https://forms.office.com/r/iM6gVFMgLj