2023 Annual Newsletter

Dear LondonSports community,

We were very fortunate to enjoy a fabulous baseball and softball season. Our 2023 programme covered 14 days with over 50 “competitive” youth baseball and softball matches were played. This year the league comprised of 200+ registered players, 15 youth umpires, and 30+ volunteer coaches and league administrators. We were delighted to see players and parents being challenged and growing within the baseball environment and hope you enjoyed some quality time with family and friends old and new.

We continue to strive to provide a positive family focused experience unique to the London youth sporting scene and look forward to seeing most of you return, with new friends, in 2024.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

Once again, the last weekend of the season did not disappoint with good weather, a higher standard of play and plenty of smiles and lasting memories. Congratulations to this year champions!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Is one of London Sports longest standing primary sponsors and we are delighted that they have agreed to continue the relationship through the next three years. JPMorgan Chase is one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States. With a history dating back over 200 years, $2.6T+ client assets under management, 100+ global markets, and 250K+ employees.

On 30 June 2023, Maseco and London Sports succeffuly spearheaded the 5th annual charity softball tournament that took place at the Scrubs. Over 200 legal and financial professionals participated in a 16-team tournament offer networking opportunities, making new friends and enjoying delicious catering. This event has evolved into an important fundraising event for London Sports. Maseco LLP is an independent wealth management firm seeking to enrich the lives of their High and Ultra High Net Worth American and global clients through simplifying their multi-jurisdictional wealth management needs.

H&F has been a primary sponsor for many years. H&F is a highly focused private equity firm that helps leading companies grow even stronger. H&F is one of the oldest and most experienced private equity investment firms operating today. They are well respected for their distinctive investment philosophy and focused approach targeting large-scale equity investments in companies in select sectors. H&F has offices in San Francisco, New York, and London.

DON GUINEY AWARD

We are proud to announce this year’s Don Guiney award winners Oliver Rhodes (Baseball Juniors – Cardinals) and Mackenzie Wagner (Softball Seniors).

• Oliver was a late arrival to the league joining 4 years ago but immediately made a positive contribution to the experience of players and coaches with his positive attitude and infectious energy raising the standards of those around him. He represented LS at several travel team events and consistently demonstrated the values of good sportsmanship and leadership.

• Mackenzie is part of a committed Scrubs family and has been participating in the league for years. Through hard work and dedication, she has developed into an outstanding player and demonstrated natural leadership qualities and capabilities throughout this season. Below is a brief description of the history and criteria for selection of London Sports highest award.

The Don Guiney Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship

This award will be given each year to a boy and a girl who exhibit the qualities that are the very foundations of what LondonSports stands for and what Don believes in. Don is the father of LondonSports baseball and softball, and like any sporting giant, he had the vision, commitment, and the passion to create this amazing ecosystem that is affectionately known as the Scrubs. Don fundamentally stands for sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is defined as an aspiration or ethos that a sport will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. This award will honour the athlete who is a great teammate, encouraging other players and mentoring younger members. It recognizes the player who is respectful to their coaches, their fellow players, the umpires, and the parents. Nominations are proposed based on the following criteria and characteristics demonstrated: Leadership, Dedication, Sportsmanship, Attitude, Minimum of two years in the league.

VOLUNTEERS

A special thank you to all the volunteers that make this league possible. The Trustees of LondonSports are commitment to ensure the maintenance of league infrastructure, implement effective administration process and provide coaching training opportunities. This platform is in place for parents to leverage. If you have ideas or initiatives the league will support them, but the leadership and organisation need to be undertaken by parents.

Next season we encourage parent to help with daily set-up and take-down, plus several administrative responsibilities such as league directors and communications.

NEW INITIATIVES AND RECRUITMENT

Winter Training - Thank you to those that completed our survey. Your feedback was welcome and as a result we are looking to initiating an indoor winter training at a venue close to the Scrubs. Please keep an eye out for more details in September.

Recruitment - We are optimistic that our league will continue to grow. The sports profile has been helped with the return of the MLB London Series and other grassroots initiatives being put in place. This includes new MLB outreach and school programs. You can help by sharing the great experiences with other parents and encourage your child to invite a friend or two to give it a try next year. Our “taster” programme was well received and will continue next season. If you have any other groups/communities that may be receptive to a targeted marketing initiative, please share with us.

Travel Team – Outside of our regular season there are opportunities to play in friendly and competitive baseball under our travel team name the Stormz. So far this year we travelled the Finsbury Park to play the London Mets (Minors and Majors) and participated in the Little League (LL) qualifier tournament. A London “all-star” team was selected from the participates of the LL tournament to represent the UK in the LL European qualifier, the winner of which goes to the LL world series in Williamsport, Pa. Congratulations to Seva Taylor for being selected to the 2023 team.

Last weekend a mixed 13U team played a friendly against the Great Britain 12U team to help in their preparations for the European championships taking place in France this week. Several London Sports players were selected for this team (Seva Taylor, Torrey Horwood, Elliot Altberger and Wyatt Musil). Players eligible for selection must have a GB passport and attended several of the open assessment days that take place throughout the year.

There are other opportunities to play including the BBF mix and match days (see the BBF website for details).

WRAP-UP

Our haggard Trustees (pictured below) have caught their collective breath and are already planning for 2024. We wish you a wonderful summer break and look forward to seeing you at the Scrubs!

(L-R) Peter Thompson, Chris Sporleder, Stanton McLean, Ross Arieta, John Bartter (Commissioner), and Richard Galvin