Baseball Queensland, in partnership with the Brisbane Bandits, is excited to announce that the Futures League will once again be coming to clubs in SE Queensland.
The four teams playing in the Futures League Opens competition will begin their quest for the Ash Anderson Cup on Friday night, July 29 and will play Tuesday and Friday nights through early September. The Ash Anderson Cup championship game will be played at Carina on Saturday night, September 10. Featuring Junior League, Senior League and Opens competitions, the Futures League is a joint venture of Baseball QLD and the Brisbane Bandits. This important partnership provides a defined pathway opportunity for Queensland players that goes from U14 and U16 through to Opens (17-24) and on to the Brisbane Bandits development squad or the ABL roster.
BQ High Performance Manager Shayne Watson stated, “Following the success of last year’s inaugural season, I am excited to see the start of the 2022 competition. Seeing the hard work from the Futures League Committee is promising for another exciting season. The Futures League forms the foundation toward the collaboration between Baseball QLD and Brisbane Bandits and will further highlight the extension of the player and coach Pathway Framework for baseballers within Queensland.”
Brisbane Bandits Manager David Nilsson commented, “I was impressed with what I saw last season and I will be paying attention to the Futures League and identifying players to be a part of the Bandits train-on squad. Last season’s Futures League was very successful and I’m looking forward to seeing the talent on the field again.”
BQ Commissioner Mr Chris Norrie added, “For most of us who have been in the baseball community for some time, there was an obvious developmental phase missing from our pathway model – a way to better prepare athletes for college or the ABL. It was important to provide more, higher-quality games. Now, as world travel opens up and we cheer on the wonderful success of the Brisbane North Little League team, we are seeing once again the tremendous opportunities our sport can offer. So, our Futures model continues into the junior ranks with the Junior and Senior League age groups. With our commercial partners and our wonderful volunteers, we hope to continue to provide an extra layer of quality baseball, to fast-track player development and gain better access to all that our sport can provide. I’m really excited by what this model can contribute to BQ player pathways and look forward to supporting all players at all levels who are participating.”
It’s not too late to register your expression of interest for the JL, SL or Opens Futures League competitions. Opens closes now at 5pm on Friday, July 15 and JL and SL close at 5pm on Wednesday, July 27.
Following the announcement last week, Baseball QLD are seeking expressions of interest from Youth Women players keen to participate at the inaugural Barclay Cup. There is a planned five week Program in lead up to this event. The Program will commence Sunday 28th August. Practice venue and final costings are yet to be confirmed.
Attention all JL and SL-aged players and families !
There are only a few weeks left to register your interest to be part of the Futures League. JL and SL Futures League offers one of the highest-quality competition opportunities in SE Queensland. It’s a great opportunity for players to get in nine games against strong competition, play with new teammates and make new friends from other clubs and regions.
The upcoming term three Futures League JL, SL and Opens programs mark the second year of this exciting new pathway. Register your EOI as a player or coach today to avoid disappointment.
Baseball QLD has opened EOI for vacant QLD Team coaching positions. A coach in any BQ Performance Pathway Program, at any capacity, is a very important role model for the athletes either selected on a team and/ or program. They are responsible for setting the culture of that program in line with Baseball QLD ideals and implement strategies for ongoing player development following a long term athlete development framework. As such they need to lead by example in all areas of both on and off the field.
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:
Baseball Queensland is excited to join fellow States in announcing the launch of a new event for youth female participants. State and Territory Associations have been invited to enter up to two teams in the 2022 Barclay Cup, which will take place at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club on the Gold Coast from 25 September through 1 October 2022.
A combined group of State participation managers created the Barclay Cup as a brand new national event for youth girls in honour of Jacinda Barclay, who sadly passed away in 2020.
Jacinda’s mother, Deb Barclay, says her daughter would be so proud of this tournament and the continued success of women’s baseball in Australia.
“Jacinda lived her life with an open heart. She would be tickled pink and absolutely humbled by this auspicious honour bestowed upon her. Jacinda always strived to inspire girls and women from all walks of life to participate in one of the sports she loved, that being baseball.”
“What made a tournament stand out next to none for her was the desire to challenge yourself, weaving in camaraderie, friendships and creating incredible memories. Something Jacinda would live by is it’s better to look back on life and say, ‘I can’t believe I did that’ than to look back and say, ‘I wish I did that'”.
Rather than a state team v state team event, this tournament will encourage participation by welcoming multiple teams from each state depending on interest levels – each State and Territory Association is invited to send two teams.
State participation managers are working to confirm the finer details, however the total cost per player is expected to fall within the $300-$400 range (plus uniforms). Coaching staff and training schedules will be confirmed in the coming months, too.
All female players who are currently League Age 13 through 16yo are eligible. Each State/Territory will seek expression of interest to participate. We will communicate directly with those who have registered, including information on tryouts.
“This is an exciting opportunity to provide more female youth participation opportunities while honouring an exceptional international athlete in Jacinda Barclay,” Baseball Queensland CEO Gareth Jones said. “We hope this event inspires and engages the next generation of female athletes and contributes to a bright future for women’s baseball.”
