A Junior league starting to flourish in the North
Wed 21 Jul 2021
The BaseballSoftballUK-led Junior sessions across the North have kicked off with a bang, especially for the Urmston Ripper Nippers in Trafford!. At the same time, an excited group of players led by former GB Softballer Natalie Fox have been playing softball in the picturesque town of Lytham St Annes an hour away, expanding the programme to a second location for the first time.
There’s been so much interest in the Juniors programme, there are plans to get a similar juniors programme underway in Burnley, with Legends manager Jonathan Rodriguez, and Manchester Baseball Club coach John Eaton is working to launch a programme in Bolton.
Children are being taught to play baseball and softball, sessions vary from coach-pitch and batting from the tee to slow pitch, fastpitch and baseball. Sessions in Trafford run every Monday night, while sessions in Lytham St Annes take place Mondays from 5:45 - 7:00 on the field on Lansdowne Road.
Luis Arrevillagas, BSUK North West Development Manager commented, “We’re thrilled that our small, Trafford based Juniors programme is expanding across the area and beyond – it’s great to have so much interest! A big thank you to Natalie Fox, Jonathan Rodriquez, John Eaton, and of course BSUK’s Linni Mitchell, who have helped grow the programme so rapidly with great coaching.”
Arrevillagas added, “With so many players involved, we’re looking to start playing friendlies as soon as possible, with tournaments to follow! While it’s great to have so many players, we always have room for more – get in touch if your child is interested!”
Coach Natalie Fox is thrilled with the progress so far, stating, “I’m so excited that we have such a great group of players, and can’t wait to start taking these players to tournaments and games. They’re absolutely loving every part of the game!”
Linni Mitchell commented, “It’s so refreshing seeing children playing our sports again - they come every week ready to have fun, hit a ball and run around the bases with tonnes of energy! We are looking to play our first game against Lytham St Annes in July - Let the games begin!”
One of the Trafford Urmston Ripper Nippers’ graduates, 16-year-old James Warren, started with the programme at age 10, and now helps train the next generation of players. He’s also a member of the GB fastpitch squad, putting his Junior training to good use!
If anyone is interested in developing juniors or getting involved in any of the sessions, please get in touch with Luis .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
