GREAT BRITAIN BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM AWARDED INCREASED UK SPORT FUNDING
UK Sport has today confirmed an additional £20,000 of funding into the Great Britain's baseball national team as preparations gear up for the Paris 2024 games.
“This increase in funding is a clear indication of GB Baseball's extraordinary achievements over the previous 12 months,” said BBF President, Tom Thornhill.
“It will be crucial for continuing the growth of British baseball and building a world-class international programme for future generations of British baseball players and preparing our top senior side for future World Baseball Classics and Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond.”
This is part of an additional £4m investment across 33 sports from UK Sport which will support athletes in their preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The funding will allow athletes to attend extra competitions that have been added to the international calendar and are essential to qualification for the Paris Games, in addition to training camps.
Following last year’s significant uplifts of £11.2m of additional investment in summer sports on top of the original Paris cycle awards the latest round of investments prioritised support on activities and requirements that will have a direct impact on Paris 2024 qualification.
Within the additional £4m of funding, 26 World Class Programmes will benefit from £3.5m of extra investment. A further half a million pounds will be invested across Progression sports, those with identified long-term medal potential and National Squads Support Fund sports, where funding is designed to support the costs associated with forming and fielding squads for competition on the Olympic and Paralympic qualification pathway.
These additional investments come following the summer sports 2022 Annual Review. A full breakdown of the investments is available here
The increased funding announced today does not include Athlete Performance Awards, which are managed separately of individual sport investment.
BaseballSoftballUK CEO John Boyd commented: “With LA 2028 firmly in our sights, we are delighted that baseball and fastpitch softball’s performance trajectory has been recognised by this increase in funding from UK Sport and The National Lottery. As both sports prepare to compete on the world stage this year, the funds will provide an extra vote of confidence for the sports.
“2022 was a remarkable year for the British teams – with GB Baseball storming through the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers undefeated and GB Women’s Fastpitch Softball winning a European Silver Medal to qualify for the World Cup group stages. The National Squads Support Fund has been a vital lifeline contributing resource and expertise to the sports’ performance programmes, as we build towards Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond.
Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport said: “With the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games less than 18 months away, the additional investments we are making - which are possible thanks to the support of The National Lottery - are aimed at supporting our sports in the lead in to Paris, while also keeping one eye on the longer term.
“It is vital that we focus our resources on supporting our brilliant athletes and staff - with major championships and Paris qualification requirements obviously at the forefront of our minds – and also ensure we continue to strengthen the system going forward.
