Nigerian Baseball and Softball Association standardizes competitions

The Executive Committee members of the NBSA have announced that they will uphold the standardisation of competitions as recommended by a taskforce constituted for that purpose more than a month earlier. The decision was reached after a virtual meeting on the 10th of March.

All baseball and softball competitions are now demanded to hold using the standards set by the Taskforce to engender club development, acquisition of skills by officials and players and prepare teams for international tournaments.

The President of NBSA, Dr William Boyd, warned that, “clubs and state associations interested in hosting competitions must adhere to these standards otherwise the tournament would not be sanctioned by the NBSA.”

 He reiterated that situation existing formerly in the association “in which all sorts of unregulated tournaments were organised can no longer be tolerated.”

 He added that affiliated clubs, players and officials who participated in such unregulated tournaments would face disciplinary actions of the Association.

Three competitions were thereafter sanctioned based on the decision. They are:

a) U18 Baseball and Softball Championship in May at Ilorin

b) U12 and U15 Softball Tournament in April at Badagry

c) Baseball5 Tournament in August, Lagos

d) U12 and U15 Baseball Tournament in October at Port Harcourt.

Further to the adoption of the standards, a senior national baseball and softball tournament that was reportedly scheduled to hold in Ilorin in March was disapproved by the Executive Committee. Clubs, players and officials were asked to participate in the said competition. They were warned that “attendance of such or similar competitions will attract strong disciplinary actions.”