Baseballers strike it lucky with 10,000 milestone

You might think a semi-rural community would be more at home with cricket or footy, but baseball was already well established in Newcastle when tree changers and commuters from the busy city took up residence around Seaham.

They brought their love of the American game with them, a nice green ground was available, and the locals stepped up to the plate.

“It’s a fast game, you are involved in it all the time. It’s not like cricket - where once you get out you don’t get another go,” Club Secretary Kim Crosby laughs. “And it suits all ages.”

Seaham Storm – small club with a big heart

With a solid 30 members, what it lacks in size it makes up for with a sunny outlook. Kim is happily hoping the club’s new 10,000th Good Sports Club status will raise its profile and bring interest from some of the larger nearby towns.

“No one’s excluded. We’ve never turned anybody back. And it doesn’t matter about your ability, we’ll find a spot for you in a game of baseball,” Kim says.

While it has a casual and welcoming approach, it sometimes has a competitive streak.

“We play hard and we’ve been known to play very hard, but after the game that’s left on the field. It’s all enjoyable and the camaraderie between us and the other teams is fantastic. We have a laugh, it’s good fun.”

A head start after a hard year

Becoming the 10,000th Good Sports member was all bit of a surprise for Kim and the club.

They signed up to Good Sports after a recommendation from Newcastle Baseball Association. Seaham Storm was in the market for some fresh ideas.

“Good Sports is a place where we can get ideas on how to improve our sport and improve our club. And of course after COVID, and a year when we didn’t play baseball, we needed some new ideas.

“As a club goes on, you don’t grow unless you get ideas. And the best place to get that is from people who have experienced the same thing.

“On the Good Sports website, there were ideas from clubs about what they’d done, how they’d started again. So it made sense.”

Everybody welcome at Seaham Storm Baseball

Inclusion is important to the club, and that’s one of the main things it is taking from the Good Sports program.

“It’s making sure that anybody who wants to play can play,” Kim said.  “We include everybody, and if you just want to come along and participate as a volunteer, or as a player, you’re quite welcome at our club. We don’t turn anybody away for any reason.”

And as for all the new attention, Seaham Storm is making the best of it.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for our club,” says Kim, who has one eye firmly on poaching talent from nearby towns. “With Good Sports and with the promotion we’re getting, it’s going to grow our club, and we can’t ask for anything better than that.”