Hello coaches, players, and parents,
I am a former collegiate fastpitch player (ECU'94), who grew up in MD playing travel ball for Wagners. Growing up, we used any walls, fencing, rigged up netting you name it that we could get our hands on to get our swings in during the offseason. We practiced year-round as most great teams do. We typically used shared gyms/facilities to practice, and definitely didn't own our own batting cage. Now, there are many facilities you can rent as a team to practice in, whether it be fielding area or pitching tunnels, but of course none of that comes cheap.
Here's my question: my company manufactures custom portable batting cages that are used at the HS and collegiate level. I really feel that there is a need for our product within travel ball teams as well, or even to be able to move from coaches house to coaches house, to conduct practices. This same cage COULD accompany the team to a tournament and allow the girls to warm up before each game rather than hitting into an open field or a small net. We ARE working to develop a "backyard mode" per sey, at a lower price point, but in doing so, I need to know the amount of money that a team deems is worth spending on a portable cage. Basically, I may feel all day long that this is the best way to go, but if a team views the cage as not something they NEED, or simply Ok with their current means of practicing hitting in the off-season, do I really have the market in the travel ball world that I THINK I do? Please share your thoughts on team needs, your current solutions, and maybe even most helpful, what $$'s a typical team spends in a year renting facilities out for practice, etc... I truly appreciate any and all suggestions/insight!
I am a former collegiate fastpitch player (ECU'94), who grew up in MD playing travel ball for Wagners. Growing up, we used any walls, fencing, rigged up netting you name it that we could get our hands on to get our swings in during the offseason. We practiced year-round as most great teams do. We typically used shared gyms/facilities to practice, and definitely didn't own our own batting cage. Now, there are many facilities you can rent as a team to practice in, whether it be fielding area or pitching tunnels, but of course none of that comes cheap.
Here's my question: my company manufactures custom portable batting cages that are used at the HS and collegiate level. I really feel that there is a need for our product within travel ball teams as well, or even to be able to move from coaches house to coaches house, to conduct practices. This same cage COULD accompany the team to a tournament and allow the girls to warm up before each game rather than hitting into an open field or a small net. We ARE working to develop a "backyard mode" per sey, at a lower price point, but in doing so, I need to know the amount of money that a team deems is worth spending on a portable cage. Basically, I may feel all day long that this is the best way to go, but if a team views the cage as not something they NEED, or simply Ok with their current means of practicing hitting in the off-season, do I really have the market in the travel ball world that I THINK I do? Please share your thoughts on team needs, your current solutions, and maybe even most helpful, what $$'s a typical team spends in a year renting facilities out for practice, etc... I truly appreciate any and all suggestions/insight!