Baseball Australia will be entering a team in the Under 15 Baseball World Cup this coming July and August.

 

The tournament will take place in Fukushima, Japan, where the team will look to at least replicate the performance of their Under 18 counterparts who finished fourth in 2015. In order to finalise the team, Baseball Australia will hold a five-day selection camp on the Gold Coast in early July.

 

Australian Baseball Alumni will be assisting a fund-raising effort designed to help the team cover the costs associated with participating in the camp and the World Cup itself.   

 

Alumni members will have recently received an email informing them of the pending Under 15 fundraiser that we are confident will be actively supported by the baseball community.

 

A nationwide raffle will take place, with players who are in contention for the team selling tickets.

 

The proceeds of the raffle tickets will be split 50/50, with players keeping 50% of the proceeds to help offset the costs of the selection camp and the Alumni receiving the other 50%. In turn the Alumni will contribute its share to the Under 15 team that will travel to Japan and compete in the World Cup.

 

“The Alumni is an appreciative beneficiary of generous donations of baseball memorabilia from its network of members and former MLB players,” Baseball Australia High Performance Manager Glenn Williams said in his email to members. “Although we will be utilising some donated memorabilia for this raffle, in order to widen the audience of interested ticket purchasers, the Alumni is seeking donations of items to assist with the fund-raiser.”

 

“The items do not need to be baseball-related,” Glenn Williams said. “They might be of a material nature – like white goods, smart phones or other technology - but they could also relate to particular rewards in travel, coaching, Australian Baseball League membership packages or other services.”

 

“We already have been offered an electrical item which will help greatly.”

 

A similar raffle was conducted during the National Championships and was very successful for the teams who chose to become involved. This time around, all Under 15 squad members will be provided the opportunity to help raise funds and contribute directly to our World Cup campaign.

 

“At this point we are making an urgent call for donations,” Glenn Williams said. “We are aiming to get the fund-raiser up and running as soon as possible to maximise the benefit for the players and their families involved.”

 

If you are in a position to assist with the donation of a prize for the raffle, please contact Glenn Williams at gwilliams18@mac.com.

 

Please check back with us for more details over coming days and weeks, or stay in touch via our FACEBOOK page and TWITTER FEED.

 

 

We thank you for your continued support of Australian baseball.

 

Australian Baseball Alumni Committee

20 April 2016