Balbriggan, Co. Dublin – The excitement is building as ticket sales for the Women’s Softball World Cup (Group A) in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin go on sale. The tournament will feature some of the world’s best softball players, and promises to be a thrilling event for sports fans of all ages.

The tournament will take place from July 11th to July 15th at the purpose built Balbriggan Softball Complex in the shadows of Bremore Castle, and will feature Australia, Botswana, Chinese Taipei, Great Britain, USA and host nation Ireland. With a full week of 19 games, fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite teams compete in a variety of exciting matchups.

“We are thrilled to host the Women’s Softball World Cup (Group A) here in Balbriggan,” said tournament director Melaine Cunningham. “Softball is a great sport, and we can’t wait to showcase some of the world’s top players in front of a passionate home crowd.”

Tickets for the tournament are available now for purchase on through the tournament website, and will be priced affordably to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to attend.

“We want to make sure that as many people as possible can come out and enjoy this incredible event,” said Cunningham. “We’re confident that the combination of top-level softball and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere will make this a must-see event for sports fans in the Dublin area.”

In addition to the on-field action, the tournament will feature a range of activities for fans of all ages, including food and drink vendors, interactive games, and more.

So mark your calendars for July 11th to July 15th, and get ready to witness some of the world’s best softball players compete in the Women’s Softball World Cup (Group A) in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. Tickets are on sale now and you won’t want to miss out on this unforgettable event! For full details on ticket pricing and to purchase your tickets – www.softballwcireland.ie

A total of 19 games will be played in Group A, which will take place in Ireland from 11-15 July, full details of the tournament are availablw on the official website: www.softballwcireland.ie.

Great Britain and Australia will have the honour of opening the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup following the confirmation of the game schedule for the Group Stage, set to be held in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland (Group A), Valencia, Spain (Group B), and Castions di Strada and Buttrio, Italy (Group C), in July. 

World No. 16 Great Britain will take on Australia, ranked ninth in the world, in the tournament opener in Group A at 11:00 (local time) on 11 July in Balbriggan, County Dublin in Ireland. Australia beat Great Britain 11-0 when they played in the last World Cup in 2018 and enter the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup having finished fourth in The World Games, fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and fourth at the 2018 World Cup.

World champions and world No. 1 USA will feature in the second game, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists taking on world No. 3 Chinese Taipei before hosts Ireland (No. 17) launch its campaign as it play Botswana (No. 43) at 18:30.

With the dates now confirmed, tickets for the World Cup will go on sale for Group A from the first week in May.

The Playoff format for Super Saturday of the Women’s Softball World Cup (Group A) which will be played in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin between July 11 – July 15, 2023 has been confirmed.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) confirmed the competition format of the Two-Stage Softball World Cups, the new tournament system unveiled two years ago. The system will be used for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup and the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup.

The first event to be held under this new system is the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup this year, which will play the Group Stage in Europe from 11 to 26 July in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland (Group A); Valencia, Spain (Group B); and Castions di Strada and Buttrio, Italy (Group C). The finals will be staged in Italy in the summer of 2024.

Under the new two-stage format, the World Cups are played over two consecutive years, with the Group Stage the first year with the Finals following the year after.

Two-Stage Softball World Cups: Group Stage Competition Format

• 18 teams feature in the Group Stage spread across three groups
• The top two teams from each group in the Group Stage advance to the Finals
• Each group in the Group Stage will start with a single round robin.
• The best four teams from the round robin will advance to play-offs where the top two sides play each other with a ticket to the Finals at stake.
• The loser of the first play-off game will then play against the third v fourth winner for the second spot in the Finals

About – The Women’s Softball World Cup is being hosted at a 2,500 seater temporary stadium in Balbriggan Co. Dublin between July 11 – July 15, 2023. The tournament is being jointly hosted by Softball Ireland (Fastpitch) and Fingal County Council – for all media/sponsoship queries please email: softballwcireland@gmail.com

The historic Softball World Cup, to be played in Ireland, Spain and Italy this summer, will be the first to be played under the new Two-Stage format.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) have released the official promotional video for the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, to be played in Ireland, Spain and Italy in July.

The video, named “The World Will Be In Europe”, features some of the iconic moments and biggest highlights from the 2018 Women’s Softball World Cup, the 2019 Olympic Qualifiers and The World Games 2022. The title of the video headlines the return of the biggest women’s softball international event to European soil after nine years. It will be the second Women’s Softball World Cup to be played on the Old Continent.

Under the new Two-Stage format, an expanded number of 18 teams representing the five Olympic continents will play across three groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group of the Group Stage, plus two wild cards, will advance to the eight-team World Cup Finals, to be hosted in Italy in 2024. 

The tournament will start with Group A in Dublin, Ireland, from 11-15 July; followed by Group B in Valencia, Spain, from 18-22 July; and Group C in Castions di Strada & Buttrio, Italy, from 22-26 July. The groups are as follows:

• Group A: No. 1 USA, No. 9 Australia, No. 16 Great Britain, No. 17 Ireland (host), Botswana and Asia 3. 
• Group B: No. 5 Puerto Rico, No. 10 Netherlands, No. 11 Spain (host), No. 27 Cuba, Africa 1 and Asia 2. 
• Group C: No. 4 Canada, No. 8 Italy (host), No. 22 Venezuela, No. 28 New Zealand, Asia 1 and a wild card.

The XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup will open next year with a new Two-Stage format. Group A will compete in Dublin, Ireland from 11-15 July; followed by Group B in Valencia, Spain, from 18-22 July; and Group C in Castions di Strada & Buttrio, Italy, from 22-26 July.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) have unveiled the groups and dates for the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage, to be played from 11-26 July, 2023 in Ireland, Italy and Spain. The tournament will be the first event to be played under the new Two-Stage format. 

“The XVII Women’s Softball World Cup represents the return of the premier international women’s softball event to European soil, a demonstration of the development of softball on the continent with three countries passionate about sport – Ireland, Italy and Spain – hosting this major softball event for the first time in their history,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “This breakthrough event will be a milestone for our organisation, with the debut of the Two-Stage tournaments, providing more opportunities for teams to participate and for countries to host events like these.”

To open the XVII Women’s Softball World Cup, an expanded number of 18 teams representing the five Olympic continents have been drawn into three groups of six teams, each of them to be played in a different location. 

The tournament will start with Group A in Dublin, Ireland, from 11-15 July; followed by Group B in Valencia, Spain, from 18-22 July; and Group C in Castions di Strada & Buttrio, Italy, from 22-26 July. The groups are as follows:

• Group A: Ireland (host), Australia, Great Britain, USA, Africa 2 and Asia 3. 
• Group B: Spain (host), Cuba, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Africa 1 and Asia 2. 
• Group C: Italy (host), Canada, New Zealand, Venezuela, Asia 1 and a wild card.

The 2022 / 2023 Women’s National Fastptich League Season kicks off with a double header Sunday featuring inter-club derby on September 18, 2022.

This will be the first season that the league has moved to a single sex format. The freshman league will start the season with 3 teams, but it is hoped that the St. Catherines ‘Rocks franchise will be able to add an extra league team during the season. Week 1 League Schedule is available here.

The teams consist of both experienced players, players new to fastpitch and younger players starting their career pathway in the sport. Full details on the league schedule are available here:

Games will be played at St. Catherines Park (the venue under development for the World Cup in 2023) the new home of Fastpitch in Ireland and the location of the soon to be developed Women’s Fastpitch Centre of Excellence.

Newly renamed, St. Catherines ‘Rocks Softball Club which is a franchise in the Fastpitch Ireland League is delighted to confirm its rosters for the 2022 Season. The Club will turn out 2 teams in the Fastpitch Ireland league starting on September 18, 2022 which kicks off with an inter-team derby at 12 Noon in St. Catherines Park. The Rosters for the opening games of the season are listed below. As ever, the club is open to new players wishing to join, any players wishing to join the should email director@fastpitchsoftball.ie

Week 1 Schedule – September 18, 2022:
12 Noon Green ‘Rocks v Blue ‘Rocks
1:10pm Green ‘Rocks v Cork/Galway
2.20pm Blue ‘Rocks v Cork/Galway

After 1,045 days COVID stand down, the Irish Women’s Softball Teams take the international field once more.

A new look Irish Under 22 team will participate in a very competitive tournament with most participating teams including players on their roster who will be on roster for the Women’s European Championships in Barcelona later this month.

Ireland start the tournament as #3 seeds overall and the number one seed in their pool. Ireland are joined by European Softball powerhouses Austria, Belgium and Spain in the group and will need to be at their best to finish in the top 2 and progress to the super round later in the week.

Ireland will field an exciting roster with 9 of the roster making their debut for Ireland in the coming days. (Full roster – http://fastpitchsoftball.ie/2022-u22-wnt/)

Preparations for World Cup 2023 start this week. We have an exciting group of young players with a lot of talent and potential who are ready to get going and very proud to pull on the Green Jersey.

What makes coaching so enjoyable at this age group is that nobody, including the players themselves, know what their limits are and we are very excited as a group to what we can achieve over the next 6 days together.

Melanie Cunningham, Head Coach & Director of Fastpitch

Ireland start the tournament on June 27 against Austria, followed by Belgium and Spain on June 28.

European Softball will be providing both Play by Play and streaming for the tournament, details below. The games can also be followed via Game Changer.

Official Play by Play – Click Here

Live Stream – Click Here

Game Changer – Click Here

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Executive Committee have today awarded the co-hosting rights of the flagship WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup to Ireland, Italy and Spain. Ireland together with Italy and Spain will host a group of the World Cup in 2023, with Italy hosting the Finals in 2024.

Other than the Olympic games, the Women’s Softball World Cup is the most prestigious event in World Softball and will be broadcast globally in 2023. Working closely with its bid partners, the World Cup Organising Committee, Fastpitch Ireland and Fingal presented a successful bid to co-host the tournament in Ireland.

The World Cup Group will be held in Fingal on a purpose built venue for the tournament.

“We’re delighted to bring the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup back to Europe, with Ireland, Italy and Spain co-hosting the biggest international softball event in the globe.” “The Women’s Softball World Cup represents the first WBSC World Cup to be played under the innovative Two-Stage format, that gives more flexibility and opportunities for cities, regions and countries to host and participate in WBSC events.”

WBSC President Fraccari

The hosting of the tournament will be the biggest softball event ever hosted in Ireland, and it is envisoned that it will be the catalyst that puts all disciplines of our sport in the eyes of the nation and begins the re-growth of the sport.

“The awarding of the World Cup to Ireland is a testament to the standing of Team Ireland and the Irish Federation in the WBSC. A lot of hard work has been put into developing the bid with Fingal and we are very gateful for Fingals support and vision to join us in the bid.” “This tournament presents a once in a life time opportunity for our Players to play in a World Cup on their home field and for us to create a strong positive legacy for the game in Ireland, promote all disciplines of the game in Ireland and supercharge the growth of women’s and youth softball.”

Melanie Cunningham, Director of Fastpitch Ireland

The exact dates of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage and Finals are still to be confirmed and will be announced shortly.

For further media information – please contact Colum Lavery – +353 86 770 8576

Enrolment for the 2022 National Fastpitch League is now open.  This year, the expanded league will feature three multi-game days of play for Women’s and Men’s Divisions before moving back indoors in the NSC during the winter months.

The League will be preceded by an open day on August 21, 2022 to allow returning players reacquaint themselves with Fastpitch and provide new players with an introduction to the game.

This year, the Divisions will play league games on Sundays and will offer additional open scrimmage games for any players from inside or outside the league who wish to take part on other dates.

An exciting new venue for the league has been identitified and the location will be shared in the near future. The autumn league dates are as follows:

21 August – Open Day
28 August – League Day 1
September 18 – League Day 2
October 9 – League Day 3

How to enrol

Players can enrol for the Fastpitch League here: https://forms.office.com/r/EV38XkhfmG. 

No fastpitch softball experience is necessary, and players will be assigned to teams.

Contacts

The National Fastpitch League can be contacted on director@fastpitchsoftball.ie.