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2020 WNT Schedule Confirmed

2020 National Team Schedule Confirmed

March 21/22, 2020 – MNC Hilversum Tournament, Netherlands*
May 30/31, 2020 – Achille Challenge, Paris, France
June 7 – 13, 2020 – European Championships, Italy
July 6 – 12, 2020 – Canada Cup International Softball Tournament, Vancouver
*European based players only

MNC Hilversum Tournament, Netherlands

The 2020 edition of the tournament will be the third year the programme has traveled to this pre-season tournament which provides us with a with a wonderful opportunity to prepare for the summer ahead.

Achille Challenge
Ireland has been invited to participate in the Achille Challenge in Paris as a warm-up to the European Championships in 2020. The tournament will be held on the outskirts of Paris and will be contested by France, Great Britain and Peru and will be a valuable opportunity to get game time prior to the European Championships. Following the Achille Challenge there will be a training camp in Europe.

European Championships
The Women’s European Championships will he held on June 7 – 13, 2020 in Friuli, Italy. Full details on the Championships may be found by clicking here.

Canada Cup International Softball Tournament
Following a number of invitations, the calendar has finally fallen into place for Ireland to accept an invitation to one of the premier international softball tournaments. The unofficial World Cup will be contested by a number of the top 20 teams in the world and at least two (Canada and Australia) of the countries participating in the Tokyo Olympics. The tournament presents a wonderful opportunity for us to compete in a world class venue versus world class teams.

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European Championships Entries Confirmed

2020 Women’s European Championships entries confirmed

Women’s European Championships (June 7 – 13, 2020 – Friuli, Italy)
Following on from Ireland’s 8th place finish at the 2019 European Championships, Ireland are a seeded team in the 2020 tournament and automatic qualifiers for the “A” European Championships. The top 8 teams from 2019 will be joined by 4 qualifiers from the 2020 preliminary tournament. In total 22 nations have entered the tournament and a full list of entered countries may be found by clicking here.

The 2020 tournament in an exceptionaly important for a number of reasons including targeting:

  • Maintaining Ireland’s “A” European Championships Ranking
  • Qualification for 2021 Women’s World Cup
  • Qualification for 2021 World Games (Birmingham, Alabama)
  • Qualification for European Super 6 Tournament
  • Maintaining Ireland’s World Ranking point

The draw for Euro 2020 will be made at the WBSC Europe Congress on February 8, 2020.

National Fastpitch League 2019 Teams C & D

Ireland Catches Fastpitch Fever

The 2019 inaugural Fastpitch League successfully began on Sunday November 10, 2019 in the National Indoor arena in Abbotstown. The recently opened indoor artificial turf arena was the perfect venue as the four teams played double headers to launch the league.

Speaking on the launch, Director of Fastpitch Melanie Cunningham said “ This is another big step in the introduction of Softball to Ireland with the league been the ultimate goal when the sport launched in 2015”.

“I would like to thank all the Players who signed up and are taking part today to help us realise our dream. I would also like to especially thank the volunteers who have made this possible, Brian Connolly and Eithne Walsh who are on the league Committee, our WNT management team Martin De Lange and Andrew O’Hanlon and of course our WNT Players Caitlyne, Maeve Og and Sinéad.” Added Cunningham.

We will be providing details of some Fastpitch Coaching in advance of the next Tournament day on December 15, 2019.


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Inaugural Fastpitch League Announced

Inaugural National Fastpitch League Launched

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Inaugural Irish National Fastpitch League to Launch on November 10, 2019

Fastpitch Ireland has confirmed the inaugural Irish National Fastpitch League will launch on November 10, 2019 in the new indoor arena in Sports Campus Ireland.

(Playing Field: https://www.sportirelandcampus.ie/national-indoor-arena-cov…)
The League, which will be run by Fastpitch Ireland, will be co-ed in its inaugural year with a minimum of five (5) Women per team and will run from November 2019 to March 2020.

Speaking on the launch of the league, Director of Fastpitch in Ireland, Melanie Cunningham said “The launch of the league is a very exciting opportunity for players, especially women, of all abilities from any bat and ball sport to experience a new discipline of softball in Ireland.”

Cunningham added “This league is the next phase in the development of Fastpitch Softball in Ireland, providing a domestic opportunity to play Fastpitch Softball regularly. The league has been deliberately scheduled to run in the Slowpitch off-season to give players of all ages the opportunity to play both disciplines of the game and creates the potential to play Softball all year round.”

About The League
The League will run over four 1/2 day tournaments with players allocated to teams in advance of November 10, 2019. All games will be played on a full size indoor artificial turf diamond using indoor rubber softballs.

Fastpitch Ireland will provide bats, helmets and balls with some gloves available for those new to the sport.

The cost of participating in the league is €20 for the first league day (which includes a jersey) and €10 per league day after that, alternatively a player can pay a discounted €45 at the first league day.

Coaching
Softball Skills Coaching will also be available on league days for players seeking to work on the basics or improve their skills. Fastpitch Ireland will also arrange skills days in-between league days for those interested.

All Stars Team
At the end of the league season, an “All Star” team will be selected to participate in the GBFL, which is a three weekend tournament in the UK. There will be some criteria around the selection of this team.

Registration
If you are interested in participating in the inaugural Irish National Fastptich League (Co-Ed) please complete the below link: https://forms.gle/VmpQnkhhoCAMnn2o6