Dear all,

Trials for the 2021-22 Academy, for U12, U15, U18 & Senior squads, will be held between 2^nd and 14^th of November. Further information on the programme, including eligibility, timings and costs are captured below and on the www.baseballireland.com website. Trials can be booked at https://www.klubfunder.com/Clubs/Baseball%20Ireland/Membership#MembershipOptions

Regards,

John Dillon, Academy Director

Frank Andrews, Development Coach

Overview

The overall aim of the Academy programme is to develop a National Team squad at U12, U15, U18 and Senior level. A group of 20 players per age group will be selected at the beginning of each season to benefit from up to 40 dedicated sessions of individual and group trainings, as well as games. Typically, the Academy will run over a period of 11 months, from November to September each year. Academy players are expected to participate in the majority of training sessions to be considered for National Team selection.

Timings

The 2021-22 Academy season will commence in November, 2021 for U12, U15, U18 and Senior players. The Academy will be run in a number of phases:

• Phase 1 (November) – open trials* and introduction
• Phase 2 (December, January, February) – early development work
• Phase 3 (March, April, May) – intensive development
• Phase 4 (June, July, August) – game practise and tournaments
• Phase 5 (September) – review and 2021-22 development planning

* The squad of 20 players per age group will selected by Frank Andrews, following trials.

Weekly time slots for each age group will be as follows:

• U12 – Saturday, 9 to 11am
• U15 – Tuesday, 6 to 8pm & Sunday, 10 to 12noon
• U18 – Wednesday, 6 to 8pm & Saturday (gym), 11 to 1pm
• Senior – Wednesday (gym), 8 to 10pm & Sunday, 12 to 2pm

Eligibility

For European and other tournaments at U12, U15 and U18 each player must be aged 12, 15 or 18 respectively, or under on the date of the tournament. As tournaments are typically planned for July 2021, the following age ranges apply for the 2021-22 Academy squads.*

• U12 – age 10, 11, 12 (as of 31st July 2022)
• U15 – age 13, 14, 15 (as of 31st July 2022)
• U18 – age 16, 17, 18 (as of 31st July 2022)

* In exceptional circumstances, a player younger than the age category may participate based on playing ability. The Development Coach will have final decision on player selection.

All players require an Irish passport to be considered for the National Team but not to participate in the Academy and Academy competitions.

Costs

Academy trials (commencing week of 1^st November)

Cost for the two-week trials of 4 sessions is €20 (€10 for U12 trials of 2 sessions)

Academy programme (commencing week of 22^nd November)

• U12 – €150
• U15 – €200
• U18/Student – €300 (includes access to gym)
• Senior – €380

Note 1: Applications for funding support are available through the Baseball Ireland scholarship scheme. For more information, contact the Academy Director.

Note 2: One-off or monthly payment option available.