The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has announced the appointment of a key position that will guide the Great Britain National Team in 2014.
The BBF named Glen Robertson as the new General Manager for the GB’s Men’s National Baseball Team.
Team GB will participate in the Confederation of European Baseball’s 2014 European Baseball Championship, which will be co-hosted by Germany and the Czech Republic from 11-20 September.
Team GB is ranked 5th in Europe (out of 41) and 24th in the World Baseball Rankings. Team GB defeated the Ukraine to capture the 6-nation (Bulgaria, Great Britain, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine) 2013 European B-Championship hosted in Zurich, Switzerland.
Robertson, who is a current member of the local Brentwood Baseball Club, will begin immediately on preparing GB’s National men’s baseball programme.
“I am delighted to be joining Team GB. I am determined to provide a first class experience for the team and to assist the BBF in the continued development of the sport in this country,” Robertson said.
BBF National Teams Programme Director, Marty Cullen said, “Glen’s professional experience is the key. I think he’ll make a real difference.”
Baseball and softball in the U.K. reached a major milestone and received a significant boost last year with the opening of Britain’s first dedicated national baseball/softball venue in Farnham.
The new baseball/softball facility features a full size international standard baseball field and three softball/youth baseball fields.
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) leadership hailed the opening of the new facility last July.
“This is a momentous achievement that will further attract athletes to our sport in the U.K. and underpin baseball and softball’s continued rise in Europe and worldwide emergence,” said WBSC co-Presidents Riccardo Fraccari and Don Porter.
[Updated at 22:17 CET, 6-Feb-2014]
