Fastpitch (Softball) Ireland are delighted to announce the launch of the Munster Softball Academy with an Introduction to Softball Session for girls aged ideally between 12 and 16 in the Munster Region. The session will be held indoors on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 1.30pm at Nemo Ranger GAA Club Facilites.

The session will be hosted by the Irish Women’s National Team Head Coach Melanie Cunningham together with Munster Development Officer Cindy McGrellis and other National Team Coaches focussing on introducing players to Softball and teaching some basic skills.

Speaking on the planned day, Melanie Cunningham said ”Following on from the success of launching our Dublin Junior Academy in May 2021, the aim of the session is to show an alternative pathway for girls to continue in sport and to hopefully introduce new girls to our sport. We are excited to introduce girls to this fun Olympic sport and we are hoping that we get a great turnout on the day, everybody is welcome!”

Fastpitch Ireland will provide players with all equipment required on the day. The session will be run in accordance with COVID-19 Sporting Conditions.

If you have any questions about the session, please do not hesitate to contact Cindy McGrellis [cindy@fastpitchsoftball.ie].

Fastpitch Ireland have announced the appointment of Cindy McGrellis as its Fastpitch Softball Munster Development Officer. Cindy will support the Director of Fastpitch, Melanie Cunningham, in the creation and running of the Munster Softball Academy.

The Munster Softball Academy will launch with an Introduction to Softball Session for girls aged ideally between 12 and 16 years old on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 1.30pm at the Nemo Ranger GAA Club facilities.

Cindy has a wealth of Fastpitch Softball experiecne and played for the Kempton Park Red Sox Softball club and the Easterns Softball Provincial team in her native South Africa and was short listed for the South African Softball Squad prior to moving to Ireland. Since arriving in Ireland, Cindy has joined the Fastpitch Ireland national league, winning the championship in its inaugural season. Cindy is also a member of the Cork Cosmos Baseball Club.

Speaking on the appointment of Cindy, Director of Fastpitch in Ireland Melanie Cunningham said:

We are delighted to appoint Cindy as our Development Officer for the Munster Region. The growth of softball across the whole island of Ireland is the primary objective of our sport and the appointment of Cindy shows our commitment to growing girls softball in the Munster region. We want to show girls that there are other team sports available to them in Ireland and to provide an alternative pathway for girls to continue in sport and to hopefully introduce new girls to our wonderful sport.

Following her appointment as Fastpitch Softball Munster Development Officer, Cindy McGrellis said

I have always been a lover of sports.  I enjoyed playing many different sports in my youth, ranging from Volleyball to Netball to Softball.  I started playing Softball at 13 years of age as the Catcher for my Secondary School team. I believe that everyone should have a sport or hobby that they are passionate about.  For me Softball is that sport. I look forward to working with Melanie to grow the sport in Munster in the coming years. As the famous quote says – Don’t play for the trophy or the fame. Play for the love of the game!

For further details on the Introduction to Softball Session for girls in the Munster Region click here