The MK Softball League is back!

We are ecstatic to confirm the return of the MK Softball League for the 2021 season. After an extremely encouraging start to our training sessions, and evidence of demand amongst our membership, we feel the time is right to relaunch and rebuild our league after it’s 600+ day holiday!

LEAGUE FORMAT

We can’t be entirely sure of how many teams the league will have until after the sign up stage, however based on feedback we have received so far from players & team captains we feel a five or six team league is most likely. In both these scenarios each team would be guaranteed a minimum of five games over the season (in some cases more where play offs are reached), and this is what we are basing our plans and costs around.

The planning of team rosters is slightly less straight forward. We would love to keep as many of our original five Milton Keynes teams active where possible, however with numbers fluctuating more than in previous years and a need to balance teams to a degree, we are unsure of the best solution at this stage. Our first choice will be to continue with previous teams, filling gaps with new recruits where possible and moving some willing players around as in previous years. However, should this not be possible due to limited player numbers we will also then consider merging teams, or possibly even doing a complete redraft as we do for our indoor league.

We appreciate that for some players the decision we make on teams might impact on their decision to play in the league, so we have tried to capture this within our sign up form and we will be happy to give a full refund of any league fees collected to any player who wishes to withdraw based on the finalised draft.

HOW TO SIGN UP

Please complete our online league sign up form before midnight on the 27th April. You will also need to complete our player registration form, but all of you who have attended our first two weeks of sessions have already done this.

For those that have opted for our £25 standard membership there will be an additional charge of £20 to join the league, and this will cover all your match fees for the season. Fees are due by the 9th of May please. Anyone who has chosen to become a Diamond member for £100 is already covered so just the sign up form needed from you!

If anyone originally chose to be a standard member but now wishes to upgrade to Diamond, you can do so before the 9th of May deadline and we will deduct any membership and training fees already paid from your £100 total. Just speak to our treasurer Jake or email us if you have any queries.

THEN WHAT?

Our committee are meeting a few days after the sign up deadline (27th April) to review numbers and finalise the league structure. They will then work on the team draft with a view to confirming teams and schedule on the 4th May. Although please note this is a tight turnaround for our volunteers so please do bear with us if there are any delays!

Opening day is currently scheduled for the 11th May so pencil that in your diary for now and we will confirm as soon as possible.

COVID 19 PROTOCOL

League matches will follow the required Covid protocol which is very similar to those in place at training sessions. You can download full risk assessments which outline procedure from our website here. Alternatively, if you have any questions or concerns please do let us know.

FOR THOSE NOT JOINING...

We will still be running training sessions weekly for anyone not involved in that week’s fixture so there are plenty of playing opportunities available.

We also appreciate that May might be a bit too soon for some people to commit so please don’t feel pressurised to come back before you feel comfortable – We will always try and accommodate late joiners wherever there is space, just get in touch whenever you’re ready to make your comeback!

ARE YOU A NEW PLAYER UNSURE IF THE LEAGUE IS FOR YOU...

We pride ourselves on being an extremely inclusive league offering new players the chance to join a team and get a taste of ‘formal’ games in a welcoming and understanding environment. Our teams generally have a mix of experience levels and our league has special rules designed for ‘rookies’ to help new players settle in and learn as they play.

We understand starting a new sport can be pretty intimidating but everyone has to start somewhere; our league is a fantastic way to learn more and get to know some fantastic team mates so we would love you to join us!

Our committee will be on hand over the next few weeks of sessions to answer any questions you have, or as always feel free to get in touch by email or on Social Media pages.

Bring on the 2021 MK Softball League!