The National Baseball League (NBL) is an amateur baseball league organised by the British Baseball Federation (BBF). The league is the top level of baseball in the United Kingdom, with the league champions also being named the overall National Champion in the United Kingdom.[1] There is no official system of Promotion-and-Relegation; however several teams have moved up and down the structure freely.
Teams
The NBL has fluctuated in size, with multiple teams joining and subsequently leaving. The BBF also allows multiple teams to come from the same club, as evident with the London Mets and Capitals both drawing from the same pool of players (although there are restrictions on players from a club playing with multiple teams in the same season).
| Team | Location | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|
| Croydon Pirates | Croydon | Roundshaw Playing Fields |
| Essex Arrows | Waltham Abbey, Essex | Townmead Playing Fields |
| Herts Toucans | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire | Grovehill Ballpark |
| London Mets | Haringey, London | Finsbury Park |
| Sheffield Bruins | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | Thorpe Green Park |
2026 league system
UK baseball is not a professional sport, so the league structure changes every season. In 2026, the format will be the following:
| Level | National Baseball League[3] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 9 teams |
North 5 teams |
South 4 teams | ||||||||||
| Division 2 9 teams |
East 4 teams |
West 5 teams | ||||||||||
| Division 3 25 teams |
North 7 teams |
Central 5 teams |
South 8 teams |
South West and Wales (SWWBL) 5 teams | ||||||||
| Division 4 32 teams |
North 6 teams |
Central 4 teams |
East 5 teams |
London 5 teams |
South 5 teams |
SWWBL 7 teams | ||||||
| Division 5 26 teams |
- | Central 5 teams |
East 4 teams |
Upper Canal 3 teams |
South 5 teams |
SWWBL Severn 5 teams |
SWWBL Wessex 4 teams | |||||
| Development[4] | - | Lower Canal 3 teams |
- | |||||||||
References
- ↑ "London Mets are the 2023 National Baseball League Champions". British Baseball Federation. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ↑ "Teams & Rosters - NBL 2025". britishbaseball.org.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ↑ "BBF 2026 Senior League preview". British Baseball Federation. March 9, 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lower Canal League". British Baseball Federation. Retrieved 9 August 2026.