GB Baseball qualified for this September’s World Cup two years ago for the first time since 1938 by coming second in the European Championships.
The British team will be the only one of the 22 World Cup finalists to receive no public funding. GB Baseball is situated between the remits of the two main sports funding bodies: UK Sport, which funds elite athletes and teams, and Sport England, which funds grassroots sport. Baseball failed in its bid for Olympic inclusion yesterday and UK Sport is set up to fund potential Olympic medalists, while Sport England only funds activities that encourage mass participation.
The team will attempt to save money by flying to Croatia later than planned and cutting back on their pre-tournament training period.
“After fighting so hard to get to the World Cup it would be a travesty if we were denied the chance to compete to the best of our ability,” said Alan Smith, general manager of GB Baseball. “We will be up against some of the world’s best baseball teams and taking anything short of our strongest squad will leave us with a mountain to climb.”
If the British team can get through the first round of the tournament, which includes a game against Japan, it will most likely be invited to the next MLB World Baseball Classic tournament in 2013, a competition that would see it receive prize money and sponsorship on a par with the world’s elite nations.
