MEMBERSHIP FEES

The Club offers two levels of membership, as well as discounted full memberships. Anyone who wants to play in a team as a regular player must purchase full membership to be eligible to play.

If you are not sure which level you wish to play at, you can begin with the Casual level and then pay the additional top up should you wish to upgrade to Full.

We are a club that strongly supports our community and would not want someone to be unable to participate due to finances. Should you be concerned about meeting membership fees, please email our Treasurer who can consider different options.

By signing up to become a member you are agreeing to adhere to the Club Rules, Constitution and Code of Conduct.

WHO ARE THE LONDON RAIDERS?

We are an amateur softball club with six teams in the London Softball League (which makes us the biggest club in the country!), and a big social diary throughout the year. We have teams of all abilities in all divisions in the league. We always field mixed-gender teams and often enter tournaments. If we don’t win on the pitch, we win in the pub.
DO I NEED TO BE LGBTQIA+ TO JOIN?

No, and you shouldn't expect all our members to be LGBTQIA+ either. Raiders is all about fun and competitive softball in a supportive, respectful environment. We are a majority LGBTIA+ club, however we welcome anyone who wants to enjoy the sport. If you’re comfortable with the Raiders, the Raiders are comfortable with you.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Take a look at our "Your First Session" page under the New Members tab for guidance.
WHAT ARE THE RULES OF SOFTBALL?

The type of softball we play is called Slow Pitch. It’s bit like baseball but with a bigger, slower ball pitched (or bowled) underarm. If you’re new to the sport, the best thing to do is learn the rules at our training sessions. No one will expect you to understand what “Force is on 2, with 2 down” means until you’ve been here a while You can search online for “softball rules” to find lots of handy guides, but we will teach you the official BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK) rules. BSUK governs our leagues. Our experienced players will be happy to help you understand the rules as you go.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?

Softball, like many sports requires certain items of equipment for the game to be played. You will be familiar with items such as balls and bases which the club supply, however once you decide the Raiders is for you, you'll be expected to have a glove for catching the balls when fielding. London Raiders provide a certain amount of equipment to members for training sessions. Check out the "Your First Session" page under the New Members tab for more information.
WHERE DO YOU PLAY?

Training this year will be at Trinity Fields in South London. We have a handy Pitch Locator on our Members page. The nearest stations are Tooting Bec, Balham, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Junction. (It’s a very long walk from Wandsworth Town.) Our League games happen all over London and the night depends on your team, for example, Red might play on Mondays and Gold might play on Thursdays. Our different teams have different home grounds. Our website will tell you where each team plays and there will be regular updates on weekly games through our social media feeds if you fancy supporting our teams.
WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL ACTIVITIES?

London Raiders are a very social bunch. We have a Start of Season Party, we march in London Pride, we have quiz nights, an off-season bowling league, lots of other nights out, and an End of Season Party. This may negate any fitness you incur from playing softball. Don't forget to keep an eye on the calendar and the Facebook Group.

HOW MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE USED

The biggest outlay for the club is pitch bookings. We need to pay various councils to allow us to reserve spaces for training and for league games.

We also pay London Softball League a fee for each team we enter into the league, which also includes a Team Insurance Policy taken out by the British Softball Federation.

Furthermore we pay for expert coaches to run training sessions for us, and we pay for training equipment, bases, match balls and first aid kits.

As the social side is an important part of the the club's ethos, we also set aside a sum of money each year for our Start and End of Season Parties as well as a fee that allows us to participate in Pride in London.

HOW TO PAY

Please pay your membership via BACS to:

Account Name: London Raiders
Bank: Barclays
Sort Code: 20-57-76
Account Number: 50865176

Any payment issues should be discussed with the Treasurer via email.

ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

Please note that a £5 fee is due for every league game you play in, and tournament fees are self-funded by each member paying for the tournaments they participate in. Members are also expected to purchase their own kit after completing a season, particularly their own glove.