Who we are

Baseball Softball Gwalia (BSG) is a social enterprise (a CIC) with a four-person board and some awesome parent helpers. We are members of the British Baseball Federation, as well as the British Softball Federation. We have a Nike RBI programme, and a Little League charter.

What we do

We are developing participation in the sports of baseball and softball in Wales – in the United Kingdom. We are headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. Wales has a youth poverty issue, which is why we have the Future Generations Act. SO! We at BSG aim to make the sports as accessible as possible. (Maybe you can help!)

 

 

How we were founded

For the long version, go here. In a nutshell, Holly Ireland had a vision of getting young people in Cardiff and Wales playing the sport, so with the help of Sarah Pike, she started delivering taster sessions in schools, to build after school clubs, becoming South Wales Youth Baseball & Softball (SWYBS). With the help of Ben Kwiatkowski, co founder of the Cardiff Merlins, community sessions started with the Cardiff City Under 18s. Ben managed the affiliation with the RBI programme, and SWYBS became RBI Wales (a CIC), later Nike RBI Wales. In 2024, Nike RBI Wales became Baseball Softball Gwalia (BSG).

How we work in the community

We have year-round after school clubs in the following primary schools:

• Gabalfa
• Willowbrook
• Howell’s

We have seasonal after school clubs in the following schools:

• Whitmore

If you’d like a taster session in your school – or a presence at your school’s sport day, contact hwyl@baseballsoftballgwalia.com

 

We have the following community teams:

• Llandaff Whippets – baseball at Pontcanna Fields
• Barry – baseball at Barry Rugby Club
• St Mellons Incrediballs – baseball, softball and basball5 at St Mellon’s Hub
• Cardiff Celts – softball, members of the Youth Fastpitch League (YFL)
  • Celts Emerald – squad 1
  • Celts Jade – squad A*
• Little League Cymru All-stars – baseball, made up of players from teams listed above

*=there is no typo here. 

If you’d like more information about joining a club, contact baseballsoftballgwalia@gmail.com

Through the First Pitch Programme, we have helped over 40 schools in Cardiff and the Vale get involved with the sport. 

Holly has delivered taster sessions in 17 primary schools and 11 high schools in Cardiff and the Vale.

 

Further Inclusion

We have run sessions for the hearing impaired resource base at Coed Glas.

We have run Challenger sessions at Pencoedtre and Whitmore high school autism bases, where they played each other at the end of the series. 

What are our seasons like

Our aims

to increase participation, social inclusion, and leadership development among all young people in Wales.

to nurture self-confidence, physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

to help young people develop values of fairness & equity, honesty, and integrity.

We encourage our participants to excel in all aspects, to become young leaders in their communities, celebrating academic achievement.

Our ultimate goal is to build a better future for all our young members, and help them be ambassadors in their communities.

Most of all, we run a very positive session, which has a remarkable impact on their self confidence, motivation and concentration.

Baseball Softball Gwalia is affiliated with MLB’s Nike RBI programme.

Baseball Softball Gwalia runs Little League Cymru.

MAKE SPORTS ACCESSIBLE

Because we believe all children should have access to sports, Baseball Softball Gwalia makes baseball and softball affordable and accessible for all youth in Wales, regardless of age, skill or household income.

REVERSE THE PARTICIPATION TREND

The disparity in team sports participation between children from low-income and middle-class homes has grown dramatically. We aim to reverse this trend.