New dedicated playing facilities for baseball and softball are expected to be ready for the 2013 season at Farnham Park near Slough and at two locations in Milton Keynes, funded by Sport England and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund.
To celebrate this achievement, BaseballSoftballUK is planning to host a week of high-level international baseball and softball competitions at the new facilities from 1-7 July 2013.
All three formats
New diamonds at Conniburrow and Woughton on the Green in Milton Keynes will host baseball tournaments at Bronco, Pony and Senior levels. Some games from these tournaments may be played at other facilities such as Finsbury Park in London, Waltham Abbey in Essex and Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.
Meanwhile, adult fastpitch and slowpitch tournaments will be staged at Farnham Park.
The baseball and fastpitch tournaments are likely to run from Wednesday through Saturday or Sunday, with a slowpitch tournament held over the weekend. Other events during the week may include tours of the new facilities, simulcast transmissions of final games and closing ceremonies and a party for all participants.
Teams from Europe and further afield will be invited to take part in all competitions, and the tournaments are expected to be attended by officials from the European Baseball and Softball Federations.
There is also a possibility that some of the top national teams in women’s fastpitch softball, such as the US, Japan, Canada and Australia, could be touring in Europe next summer and could make the Baseball & Softball Week one of the stops on the tour.