2025 Captains Pack – Oxfordshire Softball Association

Information for captains and those running teams

Information on this page:

What you need to know
What you need to do
Documents that you need
Equipment that you need
Under 18 requirements for safe play
A note about welfare
Local and national policies

What you need to know

Please read all of the documents that accompany this pack. Ensure that certain matters are passed on to each member of your team. You have a few responsibilities as a captain, and you are usually the principal point of contact for the OSA and league organisers.

What you need to do

Roster: Your roster (basic list of players) must be collected via the OSA roster web form by Thursday 8th May. Look at your team roster (copied from last year) on the Teams pages and declare your changes.
- All players also need to register with BSF via the Teamlinkt app/website. But if you registered with your Oxford team at Teamlinkt last year, and nothing has changed, there’s nothing to do.
U18 Parental consent forms: If your team contains any under-18 players, the parent of the player must sign the 2025 OSA Parent Guardian Permission Form (please contact the OSA Welfare and Safeguarding team for a form). They must also register with BSF via Teamlinkt (as an U18) or – if they registered last year – just update their TeamLinkt profile if details have changed.
Have all of your players read the OSA Code of Conduct
Fees: The league treasurer will email an invoice to your captains. Make a note of your payment deadlines and make sure you meet them. Team fees cover grounds hire, balls and payment to our governing body, the British Softball Federation (which also arranges our third party insurance). Payment deadline is 1 June 2025. If you need to split your payments into two (one June, one July), please contact the league treasurer.
Equipment: Make sure you have all the equipment you need, as a minimum, including helmets, first aid kit and anything extra you may need for U18 players (see lists below).
League Gloves
- Teams needing to borrow league gloves should obtain them from Bunny Rabett (Beavers)
- You will need to sign them out and back in after each 5 week period
- Any teams failing to return gloves will be fined £50
- Bunny will contact all captains with information
Home Team Games – New procedures for 2025
- Collect one black kitbag (with wheels) numbered 1-4 –take the one with your pitch number on it.
- Bags contain: Bases, two batting helmets, 1 Catcher’s Mask, pegs for the Astro turf batter’s box, laminated Astro batter’s box diagram.
- Collect orange back stops (fencing)
- Also collect Astro turf Batters Boxes – 1 per pitch stored outside storage cupboard building under Tarpaulin.
- Set up diamond.
- Return all equipment after the game.

Documents that you need

Documents listed in bold should be printed out and kept in your team’s kitbag.

WBSF rule book (useful but not mandatory).
See https://www.wbsc.org/en/documents/search (search for “Official Softball Rules” and find Coed slowpitch softball)
Fee statements and invoices (as mentioned above)
Schedule of games with start times (note start times vary throughout the season)
New Pitch map
OSA League Rules (our local rules)
OSA Parent Guardian Permission Form (as well as submitting forms at the beginning of the season, have one handy to have a parent/guardian complete in the off chance that you need to field a new under-18 player: please contact the OSA Welfare and Safeguarding team for a form)
Incident report form – either download a form from https://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/incident-reporting or report directly at that site
Headcase Concussion Guide: to be used in cases of suspected concussion/whiplash/head injury.
Inclusivity rules for co-ed softball to include players of transgender, non-gender, and non-binary status.
List of banned bats for 2024 (N.B. The official list may be updated during our season, and this static document may become out of date)
Useful for new (and experienced) players: Basic guide to rules from the London Softball League

Equipment that you need

Always have the following in your kit bag:
Some of the documents listed above.
Score sheets
Batting helmets
First aid kit

Under 18 requirements for safe play

Equipment Requirements (now extended to cover Under-18s playing in youth as well as adult competition):

Players under the age of 18 shall wear a helmet which includes a faceguard when batting and baserunning in slowpitch as well as in fastpitch softball. Also, in accordance with WBSC rules, all players under 18 who are coaching, umpiring, or acting as batboys or batgirls shall wear a helmet with a faceguard when on the field.
Young players shall wear a gum shield if playing in any position in the infield in either fastpitch or slowpitch.
Young players must wear a catcher’s mask or faceguard if playing at the positions of pitcher, catcher, first base or third base in both slowpitch and fastpitch softball.
The above equipment requirements can only be waived on the basis of an express written request from a player’s parent or guardian based on medical considerations. Any other reasons given for a player not wearing the equipment will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Young players shall wear appropriate sports footwear.
More information can be found at https://www.britishsoftball.org/resources/download/bsf-requirements-for-under-18s-in-softball-play

A note about welfare

Please note that ‘Welfare’ involves more than just U18s. Anyone with concerns over bullying/overbearing behaviour or the welfare of vulnerable adults should consult the Welfare Officer or report to the safeguarding group. See the OSA Admin page for other roles.