Meet our Board of Directors

Holly Ireland

Director, Head Coach

head shot of holly ireland

Holly is a San Diegan, who has been living in Cardiff since 2004.

She started playing Bobby Sox in 1979. She moved on to Wyoming and played cow-pasture-ball, until college when she played intramural softball. When she moved to Wales, she played in the local league, then coached the team to a championship before moving into youth development. She has been on three tours as an assistant GB U13s fastpitch coach, and one as a GB U15s ass’t coach. She’s a qualified baseball, softball and blind baseball umpire. 

She now co-runs the Youth Fastpitch League (YFL). 

She used to create software, she now creates youth softball and baseball teams, and future community leaders.
She likes tacos and chai.

Kelly O’Connell

Director, Information Officer

Kelly has joined us as the deservedly proud mother of one of our players (that player is a little superstar who helps coach holls with clubs at her former school). 

We can see where her daughter gets it! Kelly is a dedicated board member, actively involved in supporting the club and helping things run smoothly behind the scenes as the Information Officer, ensuring players, families and supporters stay up to date with what’s happening. Since Kelly has joined us, registrations are up 100%. Also, people knowing stuff is up 100%. 

 

Rhian Welch

Director, Compliance Officer

Rhian looks after our policy and procedural compliance and safeguarding.

Although she came to softball later in life, that is fastpitch and slow-pitch, it’s been a sport that she has loved since she first picked up a bat. Having played hockey for nearly 50 years, she found the transition from one sport to the other a relatively easy one, although her sliding techniques weren’t the prettiest as you wouldn’t have found her trying to slide on astroturf too often! 

Rhian has been involved at all levels from grassroots to being on the board of the British Softball Federation as National Development Officer.  She has played at a local and national level, attending 3 European Fastpitch championships in Italy, Spain and Prague and has been official and policy rule enforcer.

Rhian’s motto has always been “Go for it, what have you got to lose?”

Mark Munnery

Director, Safeguarding Officer

 

Mark has been involved in sport and physical activity for over fifty years. As a young undergraduate, he completed a Physical Education degree and then continued into the management of local leisure facilities in the City of Cardiff. He has always been an advocate for accessible grassroots sports coaching and holds a Paul Harris Fellow Award for the community based development of young athletes.
 
As a volunteer, he has served as a Board Member of Baseball Softball UK and is also a long-standing Trustee of the Cardiff Museum. Away from sport, Mark enjoys live music and his growing collection of Americana records.