The Greater Brisbane League (GBL) Committee met with representatives from the constituent Clubs and Regions on Saturday 29 May at Redlands Rays Baseball Club to discuss a review of the competitions and number of proposals that might be implemented within the competitions moving forward.
Presentations were delivered to the assembled representatives across three key areas; Senior Competitions, Junior Competitions and Rule Updates.
The GBL Committee identified some of their goals for the next two seasons as:
• To provide more game time for junior players – improve the value proposition.
• To facilitate improvements to the competitions for all that play.
• To encourage more coaches to develop more players in various positions.
• To align junior competition grades with Baseball Australia.
• To create more uniformity in rules between all levels of baseball.
• To provide more equitable competitions.
• To grow participation in all competitions.
BQ Game Development Director, David Badke was pleased with the level of engagement at the meeting stating “It’s great to be part of this consultation process, to hear all the views of the people involved working to improve the competitions. I look forward to the next GBL season”.
The GBL Committee will take some time now to digest and work through the feedback collected during the meeting and start to formulate resolutions on how to proceed for the coming season.
Baseball Queensland is an organisation that has a strong community and family focus. Our success depends on how we support our people. Baseball Queensland is seeking applications for persons interested in joining the Board of Baseball Queensland to fill a Casual Vacancy for the position of Director – Membership Services.
The successful applicant will be appointed by the BQ Board under the terms of the BQ Constitution – Item 3.8 CASUAL VACANCIES ON THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT.
The skills we are seeking for the person appointed are as follows:-
- Identify and arrange delivery of volunteer education re club management & governance
- Liaise between clubs and staff for the delivery of services
- Develop grass-roots growth- and capacity-building strategy for clubs
- Identify and assist with membership tools such as registration portal
- Liaise with Director Finance to review membership fees
- Assist with Grant applications & Strategic Plans
The possible sub-committees to fall under this portfolio are as follows
Suggested Sub-Committees:
Your commitment to this role will be attendances at a monthly Board meeting, regular discussions with Board members via electronic media, attending to the Membership Services portfolio and managing sub-committees as required. A copy of the BQ Director skills matrix is linked to this communication. Please email your written application for this position to Gareth Jones gareth@baseballqld.asn.au stating your skills and experiences that may be appropriate for this position.
Click here for Director Skills Matrix Questionnaire
Nominations close June 16
Baseball Queensland is pleased to announce our ongoing partnership with Australian Catholic University.
This partnership focuses primarily with Behavioural and Health Sciences and Allied Health, which will aid in the ongoing support we provide for our athletes within the Performance Pathway Programs.
High Performance Manager says “Continuing our partnership will provide benefits for both BQ and ACU. Previously we have had placement students assisting with the delivery of BQ programs in addition to providing all athletes functional movement screening.“
Watson continues, “Working with a high performing institution, we have had quality students attend our sessions and I am expecting another big year working in conjunction with ACU”.
Baseball Queensland (BQ) are proud to announce that we have renewed our agreement with Acceleration for the next 12 months.
BQ will have Acceleration coaches on field delivering sessions to improve athletes speed, strength and coordination.
High Performance Manager, Shayne Watson says “I am excited to continue our relationship with Acceleration and their quality High Performance coaching staff”. Watson continues, “Partnering with a high performing organisation, supports the growth and strength within our Programs”.
In addition to on field sessions, all athletes in both our State Development and Emerging Squads will receive an online Strength and Conditioning Program which complements their baseball development.
Baseball Queensland is excited to announce that former Team Australian and MLB player Trent Oeltjen will be joining the Blue Jays for their first game of the SWQBL season.
Oeltjen, who spent time in the MLB with the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, will be an exciting addition to the launch of the SWQBL Season as the Tigers take on the Blue Jays at Pine Hills on the 23rd of May.
Fans of Baseball are encouraged to make the trip to Pine Hills to watch the former MLB and ABL player compete against Brisbane’s keenest baseballers as the winter comp kicks off for the 2021 season.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:45am on Sunday the 23rd of May.
Oeltjen will also be available post game to meet fans and take photos.
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.
