Archway School has a breakout start to their 2017 softball season

ARCHWAY School in Stroud, Gloucestershire has had a breakout start to their 2017 softball season with the help of a Sport England Small Grant, and is developing a model that other schools around the country could follow.

Lewis Chapman, who has been the Head of Physical Education at the school since September 2013, was quick to see the potential that softball had for engaging otherwise non-sporty students in a summer sport, and he introduced it in games lessons.

Since then, softball has taken off and has become a regular activity for students at all levels of ability.

Currently, the school holds every District and County title at each age group in the Sainsbury’s Gloucestershire School Games.

However, what was missing was the opportunity for students to develop and play softball at a higher level outside the school environment, and that came about with a chance meeting between Lewis Chapman and ex-GB Slowpitch Team Head Coach and player Mark Saunders.

Between them, the idea of an Archway School Softball Academy was born.

Getting started

Work started over the winter of 2016-17 to put a structure in place for the Archway Academy, apply for funding and explore the possibilities of an Academy team competing in the adult Bristol Softball League.

Twenty-four pupils were invited to join the Academy and training started under Lewis and Mark, both qualified Level 2 coaches.

Funding via a Sport England Small Grant, plus a private donation, has allowed the idea to blossom, and Archway Softball Academy entered a team in the Bristol Softball League (Division 3) at the beginning of the 2017 season.

Five wins out of five to start with, plus a narrow loss in the final of the Bristol First Ball Tournament (Rec division) gave the project a stellar start and the squad was then split into two teams to play in the Spring Cotswold Tournament on Sunday, May 21, hosted at the school.

The Archway Panthers finished runners up to the Bees (an NSL 2 team) and the Archway Foxes won the Plate final (and finished in fourth place overall).

Expansion

Work has now started on expanding participation across all age groups from Years 8-13.

Another 30 pupils have begun attending after-school training sessions, and the plan is to fully incorporate them with the established Academy players.

Meanwhile, Lunch Club participation has pupils queuing up to be involved in the indoor version of the game, and the coaching the Academy students have received is now being passed on to the younger pupils via these lunchtime sessions.

The hope is to expand these sessions further as the weather improves.

While the Sport England grant has secured the success of the Archway Softball Academy for this season, and the private donation should ensure progress next season, the plan is to secure further funding and continue the programme for the foreseeable future.

The aim is not only to increase participation in softball for the current pupils, but to give students who leave the school good core skills, a firm grounding in softball and a clear pathway in the sport all the way up to national team level.