During the summer months, Saturday mornings become a real family affair at Chichester Falcons Baseball and Softball Club.

Arrive towards the end of Park Run at Oaklands Park and you will find us ready and raring to go.

The netting for the large backstop goes up, flags start fluttering in the breeze and picnics are put out as families settle in for several hours of baseball fun.

Little League Baseball is for children aged 8-12, and is a fun, inclusive and accessible way to introduce children to the sport. It uses the same rules and gameplay as the professionals in Major League Baseball (MLB) – which just held two of their games in London in June and has seen a growing following in the UK.

The day at Oaklands Park starts with warm up exercises, including a few minutes when we get the parents involved, throwing and catching with the kids. Once everyone is feeling settled, we carry out a few drills including developing those important ground ball skills and how to throw as accurately as possible. We usually add a bit of competition in there, too, seeing which group can complete a drill first – just for fun! We also help the kids learn how to swing with the bat using batting tees - a rubber stand which holds the ball in place.

Then it’s onto some game play. The kids are split into four teams, each with their own distinctive kit, named after an MLB team, which they wear each week, and with whom they stay throughout the baseball season. While fun, there is definitely some friendly rivalry going on and friendships get formed within the teams, too – a terrific thing to see.

Similar to rounders, in that a batter hits the ball and must run bases to score points, baseball differs in several important ways, including the use of gloves when fielding, a larger bat which must be swung two-handed, and the shape of the diamond, as well as the rules of the game itself.

Yet it is amazing how quickly the kids pick up this sport, even if they have never played before. They experience trying out all the various fielding positions, and develop the different skills involved in each – particularly the catcher position, with its various pieces of protective equipment. When batting, they need to remember their batting order and learn the discipline to stand behind the foul line, find the right sized helmet and above all, support their team mates as each goes up to bat.

The rules are also picked up quickly, with the Falcons coaches there to guide and encourage every step of the way.

To make things accessible, we don’t do live pitching for this age. During the games, a special pitching machine is used to ensure the ball come to each player consistently, and if a child strikes out three times (meaning they would usually be out, according to the rules), we then use a batting tee so that each child gets a good hit each time.

We also ensure we take lots of breaks, bring plenty of snacks and make sure everyone feels included. The atmosphere is very positive and so if you are thinking of trying out something new, or are curious about what playing baseball might be like, come and give us a go – we welcome new players even in the middle of the season.

Little League baseball is a great introduction to the sport and as they get older, children have the opportunity to move into our Fastpitch Softball group for ages 12-16 and then onto our 16+ Fastpitch and Slowpitch Softball groups.