It started as a vague idea voiced by Julie Clayden, a former football coach, on the beach in Aberavon.
That was last November – just 10 months ago.
Since then, My Rounders has grown to 73 registered teams playing in eight different leagues with over 1,200 players.
“There was a demand for a social sport that was fun but also promoted fitness,” says Julie.
“I posted on social media and within three weeks I had 152 people wanting to play. Most people remember Rounder from when they were young and the fun it gave them.”
That was the spark for the Port Talbot League, which was played at Aberavon Leisure Centre. Next came Gowerton near Swansea, Pontardawe, Neath and miles on the way to Bridgend, Cardiff and Barry.
For those who have long forgotten, Rounders is a sport that involves nine players on a team, a bat, a ball, four diamond-shaped bases, a pitcher or bowler and an umpire.
Each batter attempts to bypass the four bases to score a point or a rounder, and the team with the most rounders after an agreed number of innings is the winner.
Teams can be single-sex or mixed. At My Rounders, each team can have a maximum of three male players, but they also run separate women-only teams and leagues.
“Rounders is just a really accessible, social sport that everyone seems to enjoy,” says Julie.
“People love the fact that it is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. We’ve attracted some people who are quite fit and active and play other sports, but we also have a lot more players who want the friendship aspect and the fun – especially with their friends and families or work colleagues.
“When we started at Aberavon Leisure Center we had a viewing gallery and it was great that a single mother could come along, play rounders and have her children cheer her on from the viewing gallery where they were safe and sound.
“There aren’t many sports as social as rounders, the rules are simple and people just seem to love it.”
Like any organized sport, My Rounders needs officials and referees to ensure everything runs smoothly. For this reason, they offer training for referees.
My Rounders book the venues, provide the referees and even help form teams if someone wants to play but doesn’t have other teammates ready.
The cost is around £50 per week per team, which works out to between £4 and £5 for each player.
So what about the players? Who are they and why do they play all-rounders?
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