Over 30 players from fourteen different clubs across the country travelled to the National Baseball and Softball Complex to attend the EPP Summer Camp. The three-day camp concluded the pilot stage of the newly formed Emerging Players Programme and was designed to give players aged 10–15 an immersive baseball experience, including skill evaluations, individual instruction and developing a deeper understanding of how to apply those skills in the context of a game.
Youth players from clubs as far as Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge and Leicester alongside a range of clubs from across the Southeast, received coaching from coaches involved in the national team and performance programmes. Providing instruction at the EPP Summer Camp were:
- Will Lintern, EPP Director and former National Team coach and player
- Bob Rowe, U12 Pitching Coach
- Jamie Dix, U15 Assistant Coach and former National Team player
- Louis Dean, U18 Assistant Coach and U23 National Team player
- Chris Waller, U18 and Senior National Team Athletic Trainer
On the first day of the camp, the players were put through their paces as part of a player evaluation, similar to what they might experience at National Team tryouts.
“We felt it important that the players experience what a tryout is like, both in terms of the activities and tasks but also the length of the day. Sometimes it can be quite daunting to attend an evaluation day, if you haven’t done one before so we wanted to build some familiarity and hopefully confidence from this process” explained EPP Director Will Lintern
Days two and three followed schedules featuring a mix of individual skill development, team defensive execution and game play. Time was spent learning the throwing programme, while players at all positions, including catchers, received dedicated time with their respective coaches. Pitchers threw either in the bullpen or in games against live hitters, and the final day concluded with team-based hitting and fielding competitions.
Louis Dean, who recently returned to the UK following a year in the US, had this to say about the three-day camp:
“Spending three straight days at the EPP summer camp made a huge difference to the kids’ baseball IQ and overall skills. Every single player left the field noticeably better, filled with great memories, and ready to keep growing.“
A principle of the Emerging Players Programme is that the entire programme is underpinned by the philosophy of long-term athlete development. EPP is a joint initiative between the British Baseball Federation, Great Britain Baseball and BaseballSoftballUK, with funding made available through Sport England, and is the first step in the new National Talent Development Pathway.
Chris Waller, Athletic Trainer with the U18s this summer and the Senior National Team at the 2025 European Championships, was on hand to ensure there was dedicated time and focus on developing each player’s athleticism and to support them through the physical challenges of playing baseball for three days in a row.
“The EPP summer camp was a great opportunity for young athletes to not only develop their baseball skills, but also understand what more they need to be doing from a physical POV to get to the level required at the national team”
The Summer Camp concludes the pilot phase of the Emerging Players Programme. The BBF, alongside BaseballSoftballUK and Sport England, will now review the pilot and use the experience to inform future EPP delivery, with plans to offer sessions in more locations during the next cycle, concluding with a Summer Camp in 2027.
Alan Dean, Performance Programme Manager for BaseballSoftballUK, reflected on the EPP Camp and the wider cycle:
“It Was great to see the fruition of eight months’ work, since the initial EPP sessions in January. The development of young baseball players is paramount to the health and success of our sport, this camp is the starting point of upskilling not only players, but our coaching community and the wider British baseball family.”
Any players who wish to be considered for future EPP and talent development plans, or coaches interested in supporting sessions, should email epp@britishbaseball.org.uk.