Herts Baseball Club was founded in 1996. To meet growing demand, the club built a second baseball field at its Hemel Hempstead branch in 2009. This led to a period of rapid growth. “We built it. People came. It’s time to do it again and bring baseball to NW London.” With so many kids and adults wanting to play baseball in NW London, the club decided to set up a branch there. Most playing fields were already taken by other sports. The only viable venue was Basing Hill Park but its playing field has deteriorated over many years. It was last used by football teams more than 10 years ago and the park cafe was abandoned. The field has been further damaged by local police using it to train their horses. Herts baseball teams started playing there in 2019. The club is now crowdfunding to make the playing field fit for purpose and bring baseball and softball into the heart of the community. The park will become a family oriented space with organised events and a renovated cafe for everyone.

What we'll deliver:

• Level and resurface the playing field with new grass
• Install baseball backstop, team benches, infield base areas and pitcher's mound
• Refurbish and equip the park cafe with catering equipment
• Purchase projector and screen for outdoor cinema

Why it's a great idea:

Over the years the club has seen children and adults of all ages (6 to 60+), with diverse backgrounds, from low and high income families, male and female, from complete baseball beginners to advanced, join the club. Everyone plays. With so many of its club members living in NW London and many more wanting to play baseball but unable to travel to Hemel Hempstead, Herts Baseball Club established a branch in NW London. Over the last two years at Basing Hill Park, the club saw a large increase in enquiries from members of the public interested to play baseball. Growth in participation accelerated further after the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox came to play games at the London Stadium in 2019 in front of a 60,000 sell out crowd. That continued in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The community has rediscovered the important role which parks play in our lives. This project will make Basing Hill Park even better and will bring people together in a Covid-secure environment.

Steps to get it done:

• August 2021: Cultivate, re-grade and level the playing field
• September 2021: Plant grass seeds
• October 2021: New grass appears
• March 2022: First mowing of the new grass
• March 2022: Renovate and equip the abandoned park kiosk/cafe
• April 2022: Create the infield clay areas around the bases and the pitcher's mound
• April 2022: Park kiosk/cafe reopens for business for the first time in over 10 years
• May 2022: Install the baseball backstop and team benches
• May 2022: Grand Opening of Basing Hill Ballpark with youth and adult baseball league games

Note: In July 2020 the UK government approved a Covid-secure protocol for baseball games to be played.