After a successful pilot program in 2014 and rapid growth in 2015, two Victorian Baseball Clubs have joined forces to offer Tball Smash in 2016.
It’s great to see the program take the next step in its growth" commented head of Tball Smash, AJ Baillargeon.
"Last year Research-Lower Plenty had a fantastic year in terms of registrations, which has led to them fielding two new Little League minor teams for 2017.”
“To have an iconic club like the Fitzroy Baseball Club join the program this year demonstrates there is an appetite for clubs to work together to attract new families to the sport of baseball."
By joining the Tball Smash program, clubs enjoy the benefits of shared marketing tools such as posters, flyers, Facebook advertisements, and most importantly one central website.
"Having www.tballsmash.com.au as our go to place for our customers is a big step in increasing our visibility to "non-baseball" families in our communities" added Baillargeon.
"It's 2016: a centralised website is no longer a nice to have. If we want to be an option for families to consider for their children, it's mandatory for us to be easily found and make it as simple as possible for them to find us."
"We have also tried to create as much consistency as possible for participants, while allowing each club to have the flexibility of putting their own touches on the program."
Tball Smash includes a similar pricing structure regardless of which club families join. The programs are run at the same time of the year (but on different nights) and all participants receive the same starter pack, including Tball Smash tops and hats.
"From a club perspective, we know how much work each of us put into recruiting families at a grassroots level.”
“By having one marketing kit, it saves hours of many volunteers designing new marketing materials every year. There are also financial benefits when it comes to buying kits and uniforms when we are buying in bulk."
Baillargeon hopes that this year is yet another springboard to growing our sport across the state.
"We know we will learn a lot by working with both clubs. We hope this puts us in a better position to grow the program through more clubs in 2017."
To learn more about Tball Smash visit www.tballsmash.com.au.
If your club is interested in learning more about how it can benefit from the program, contact AJ Baillargeon on 0423 782 970 or baillargeon_aj@hotmail.com