As the Secretary General of Århus Baseball Softball Klub, I feel the need to make an official statement regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic currently affecting the country as of now.
I’m blind in regards to what is happening in Denmark right now. I feel strongly that we should continue to back up the government in making sure that the virus does not spread faster than the health sector can keep up.
But as a club and sport, we are threatened by the consequences of the government regulations.
All of you already know that the practices have been cancelled and are most likely also wondering when we are going to be playing games again - and although I don’t have the answer, I share the same concerns.
Many of you have paid your membership fees - which is very important and great to see.
But some members are also hesitant to pay membership fees. I would assume because of the uncertainty to how much baseball or softball you will get in return.
As a member of the club, a baseball and softball fan and as a strong supporter of the sports associations in Denmark as a whole, will strongly encourage any hesitant members of the club to pay the membership sooner rather than later.
Think of the membership as what it is: A membership in Baseball and Softball, an investment in the future of Baseball and Softball in Denmark and as of today: as a safety for Århus Baseball Softball Club’s survival.
A club membership in a danish sports association is not a “pay for service”-subscription as you know it from Fitness World or Netflix. Especially smaller associations such as our club. We don’t take any profits - but we invest it right back into the sport and the club.
I’ll gladly set aside time to tell you about all the things we have in plan for the future of this sport in Denmark and also talk about what we had in plan for 2020. It is quite interesting to talk about, to be honest - so don’t hold back.
To those reading this that are not playing members, but still have an interest in supporting the club and the sport: You might be a former player, a parent, friend or maybe just a fan of the game. You have the option to make a difference by signing up as a “Motionist” in our small club.
By signing up as a “Motionist” you’ll be paying a 150 kr.-membership to the club and that money will be used solely on equipment and developing the sport in Denmark. By signing up as a member of the club, you’ll also indirectly contribute with the funding we get from various organizations such as DIF and the municipal, based on the amount of members in the club. You can sign up for a Motionist membership by sending 150 kr. on mobile pay to “box09074” and write in the comment your “first name” and “birth year”.
Soon, the club will also introduce a clothing web-shop where you can buy both Århus-specific merchandise and uniforms, but also logo-free clothes and training apparel. By buying from the web-shop, you’ll indirectly donate money towards buying uniforms for the teams in the club, in the future.
We have to look at every possibility to secure the survival of the club and I hope that you will show your support.
As a bonus info: The Women’s Softball team can join my own online lectures for Softball theory every Wednesday on Cisco Webex.
I know Matthew tried doing the same with the Men’s Baseball team - but sadly no one but me showed up. I’ll encourage Matthew to keep doing it - and encourage you to join the lectures. Not only to gain the knowledge that Matthew has - but also as a great way to meet your team mates, when you can’t meet in person.
This could also be an inspiration to our latino friends in the Aarhus Athletics Baseball team. I’m also working on a way to activate the Juniors during this time and more info will follow.
To close this off - I just want to thank everyone working hard to develop the sport of Baseball and Softball in Århus and in the rest of the country. You are needed more than ever.
Best Regards
Philip Spielmann Nielsen
Secretary GeneralÅrhus Baseball Softball Klub