Sheffield Bruins Baseball Club fears the worst as they seek urgent sponsorship support

The Sheffield Bruins Baseball Club, located at Thorpe Green Park, Waterthorpe, are a co-ed club established in 2018.

There are several different entry points for players of all ages and abilities, with a variety of optional teams such as: The Bruins (Co-ed), part of the National Baseball League; The Grizzlies (Co-ed), part of the Lower Division of the Northern Baseball League; The Bruins (Women’s Only), part of the Northern Division of the Women’s Baseball League and The Cubs, their friendly youth team.

A young player at The Cubs level described their love for the team. They said: “I like the club because everyone is really friendly and it’s a good atmosphere.”

The Sheffield Bruins, particularly The Cubs Youth team, take pride in supporting those less fortunate in Sheffield, providing free equipment, free sessions, and free field hire to all participants. In turn, those aged six to 13 years of age are provided with a safe space to enjoy the sport.

However, this comes at a hefty cost for the club, which reportedly spends a minimum of £1,000 per team, every season, which runs from April until September.

During the 2019 season, Crystal Peaks sponsored The Sheffield Bruins Baseball Club, collaborating with a 12-month deal to support the newly established club.

Last November, the club also received a grant from Poundland, to further support their ambitions.

Recently, after being accepted for Tesco’s Community Grant (a scheme which is open to non-profit organisations and prioritises supporting young people), at Tesco Express Beighton, the club promisingly looked ahead to a successful future.

But despite continued financial support, the club still finds itself short as its teams continue to grow.

Taking to Facebook in hopes of finding new sponsorships, the club is seeking businesses for equipment sponsorship.

This includes purchasing a box of game balls in their name. In turn, this would provide four weeks of advertisement on the box of balls, as well as posts on the club’s social media pages.

In a statement, the club said: “We are looking for equipment sponsorship in return for regular advertising through our social media. As you can imagine, the equipment gets used a lot and needs replacing and as the team grows, we have more kids to provide for.”

Additionally, the club is looking to add to their team jerseys for all the teams in the club.

A youth player at The Cubs said: “I think if we get more sponsorship, we might be able to play some proper games with other teams. I think if other sponsorships sponsor other teams, then there might eventually be able to be put into a little league.”

The club and their players alike remain hopeful that their shared love for the sport can continue with the continued support from the community and businesses.