Tag: Featured

An infield softball.
by Colum Lavery

Softball Leinster Awarded Umpire Development Grant

Softball Ireland have today announced the awarding of an umpire development grant to Softball Leinster. Following on from the commitment given at the 2018 Annual General Meeting to assist Softball Leinster addressing the umpiring short fall in the Leinster region,  Softball Ireland have agreed to allow the 2019 Brian Walshe Cup to be designated as a training tournament for newly trained umpires to gain valuable experience and feedback. 

In addition to designating the Brian Walsh Cup as an umpire training tournament, Softball Ireland have agreed to provide Softball Leinster with funding to support the following:

  • Allotment of funding for the costs of hosting umpire training courses
  • Allotment of funding for the assessment and guidance of new umpires at the Brian Walshe Cup by experienced and qualified umpires

Speaking on the announcement of the funding, Softball Ireland President Colum Lavery said “Softball Ireland welcome Softball Leinsters push to develop more umpires in the Region and we are delighted that as the National Governing Body we can provided Softball Leinster with both logistical and financial support through the development grant and making the Brian Walshe Cup available to umpires to get experience and positive feedback from other experienced umpires.”

The first of the Softball Leinster umpire beginner’s training courses for 2019 will be on the 13th of April. Time and Location TBD.

by Colum Lavery

Softball Ireland announce coaching partnership with BSUK

Softball Ireland are delighted to announce that it has entered into a coaching partnership with BaseballSoftballUK through which Softball Ireland will be able to access and utilise the Coach Education programme developed and delivered by BaseballSoftballUK to create a Softball Ireland Coach Education programme. The programme will be used as the foundation of a partnership that will see the development of Coach Education capability and capacity in Softball Ireland.

BSUK will provide an initial tutor training course for tutors identified and nominated to attend the course by Softball Ireland. This is intended to upskill tutors in Ireland to allow delivery of a Softball Ireland Coaching Education programme utilising BSUK Coach Education Programme content and resources to every club in Ireland.

Speaking on the partnership Softball Ireland President Colum Lavery said “Softball Ireland has identified that one of the key challenges to player retention is that we have no structured coaching programme for beginners and entry level players. Our partnership will allow us create a pathway that enables every Irish softball club to have at a minimum an activator level qualified coach by the end of the 2019 season. This is a very positive step for our sport.”

“It is intended that by the end of 2019, as the programme rolls outs further, that we will have a number of coaches qualified to the highest level that can improve players at all standards across the game. Players are more likely to stay playing if they receive structured coaching.” added Lavery

The initial tutor group will consist of a number of national team coaches and individuals identified by Regional Committees. Softball Ireland will be encouraging the nomination of female coaches.

Following the qualification of the tutors, Softball Ireland will host a number coaches courses to facilitate every team in Ireland qualifying at least one coach. Further details of the coaching programme will be announced in the coming weeks.

by Colum Lavery

Registration for Brian Walshe Cup 2019 Now Open

The 2019 edition of the Brian Walshe Cup will be held on April 27, 2019. Teams are now invited to register for the tournament through the registration link below. As with previous tournaments, the tournament will be used as a fundraising event for the Slowpitch National Team which is participating at the 2019 European Championships in July 2019. Entry fee is €150 per team Click Here to Register 

by Colum Lavery

Coed Slowpitch National Team Trials Confirmed


Further to the successful first trial held indoors on February 24, 2019, the Coed Slowpitch National Team coaches have announced the dates for the second and third trial as follows 

March 10, 2019   Castleknock College   11am – 2pm
March 30, 2019   Castleknock College   11am – 2pm

  Players wishing to register for the trials should email senan_dormer@yahoo.co.uk. All players seeking to tryout must have or be eligible to receive an Irish Passport. The 2019 Coed European Slowpitch Championship will be held in Budapest on the 15-20th of July.  To help defray the cost we are asking for 10 Euro per person to be used towards the field rental.

by Colum Lavery

Schedule Confirmed for January 2019 DIST

The second of the off season Indoor Softball tournament will be held in DCU on Saturday January 26, 2019.

The teams for the tournament have been confirmed and the schedule released.

  • 2Pak – Dublin
  • Brawlers – Belfast
  • Dodder – Dublin
  • Galway Hookers – Galway
  • Kegs – Dublin
  • Marlay – Dublin
  • Megamix – Dublin & Galway
  • Originals – Limerick
  • Sliders – Belfast
  • Suspects – Dublin
  • Thirsty Camels – Dublin
  • Wicklow Wolves – Wicklow

A couple of teams still have room for a body or two so if you haven’t signed up to a team for the tournament and would like to play contact Julie Trundle through the Facebook page.

For real time details and scores on the tournament please follow the DIST Facebook page by clicking here

Softball Ireland are delighted to have partnered with DIST on the prizes which we hope will help promote the game.

 

DIST 2019 Prizes

by Colum Lavery

Slowpitch National Team Trials – February 24, 2019

Slowpitch National Team Trials 2019

The 2019 Co-ed European Slowpitch Championship will be held in Budapest from July 15 – July 20, 2019. 

Softball Ireland have reappointed Co-ed Slowpitch Head Coach, Senan Dormer for the 2019 who has appointed Eoin Coonan and Jonathan Spielberg as Assistant Coaches. Jay Slevin has been appointed as Logistics Manager and Karen Brady will come on board as the team’s Strength and Conditioning coach.

The first trial for the Irish National Slowpitch Team will be held indoors in Firhouse Community Hall on February 24, 2019 from 1pm to 4pm. 

Players wishing to register for the trials should email senan_dormer@yahoo.co.uk. 

All players seeking to tryout must have or be eligible to receive an Irish Passport.

To help defray the cost we are asking for 5 Euro per person to be used towards the hall.

by Colum Lavery

Countdown to 2019 – #1

Dodder are 2018 National Champions

Our final moment of 2018 saw Dodder retain the Softball Ireland National Club Championships in September after beating Belfast Softball Club in Dublin. 

Dodder’s win sees the Leinster league continue its dominance over the tournament and Dodder will be one of Softball Ireland’s two representatives at the 2020 European Super Cup.

The full tournament report can be found by clicking here.

The Facebook live feed of the game can be viewed here.

 

by Colum Lavery

Countdown to 2019 – #2

Two

Ireland U19 & U22 Women’s National Teams Shock Europe

2018 was the year the Irish women team announced to the European softball powerhouses that we were no longer there to just make up the numbers.

As the Irish team left Dublin airport on 7am flight to Venice on Friday June 13, 2018, nobody could imagine what was about to happen over the next 14 days. 

Under 19s take silver

Ireland started the tournament in a group containing defending Champions Great Britain, European super power Russia and Denmark. Two wins in the group stage were required to make the medal round of the tournament and nobody, other than the Irish Management team, at the tournament expected it to be possible

Ireland played some phenomenal softball over the next 6 days during which they beat such European softball royalty as Russia, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Czech Republic to name a few on its way to playing the host nation and European number 1 Italy in the final. The final was an amazing occasion under lights in front of a full stadium and streamed around the world. Italy proved too strong on the night but not before Ireland made the host nation work hard for 7 innings to claim the title. 

A silver medal won within 4 years of the programme starting, Ireland were proud!

As a result of coming second, Ireland qualified for the 2019 Jnr World Championships as one of Europe’s 3 qualifiers. 

Full report can be read by clicking here

Under 22s take Bronze

The Irish team at 6am on the morning after its U19 heroics got on its bus for its 8 hour drive to Slovakia for the U22 European Championships. Ireland had entered the tournament to give the younger players more experience at the higher level and keep senior players ticking over in a year of no WNT tournaments. As the tired U19 team, management and families settled in for the journey exhausted, re-enforcements had arrived for the U22 tournament in the shape of Claire Blount, Tess Griswold, Allie Monteleone and Sinead O’Leary all focussed and demaning a medal.

If Ireland thought its group the previous week was tough, life came even harder when we were drawn with Great Britain (again), Greece, Slovakia and Turkey. Ireland needed 3 wins to progress to the medal round and things) did not start out well by losing to GB (again for the third time in a week). The tournament got better from here on in with Ireland winning all its remaining group games. 

A tired Ireland team, had to work hard over the next 4 days beating Poland and Russia but losing to Netherlands to qualify for the super six. Ireland knew 1 win from 3 would qualify them for a medal game and first up was GB (again). In what developed into a classic game, Ireland led for six innings only for GB to tie the game up in the bottom of 7. Extra innings it was and after Ireland taking a two run lead on a Tess home run, GB once more came back to snatch an unlikely win. Ireland still controlled its own destiny and beat Czech Republic the following day to qualify for the Bronze medal final.

You guessed it, the Bronze medal final  saw Ireland play GB for the fifth time this week, and it became a very one sided affair of Ireland domination GB both defensively and offensively to win the game 6-0 and take bronze whilst breaking our GB hoodoo at the same time.

Ireland finished the summer with a shiny bronze to complement the silver.

Next up for Ireland in 2019 – Olympic Qualification Tournaments

by Colum Lavery

Countdown to 2019 – #3

Countdown to 2019 – #3

Ireland Coed Slowpitch Team Finish 8th at World Series 2018

As part of its preparations for the 2019 European Championships, Ireland traveled to London to play in the annual World Series tournament hosted by the BSF.

Ireland just missed out on a top 6 finish losing in the bottom of last to England in the last game of the round robin on the Saturday. 

Ireland ultimately finished the tournament in eight place and the full tournament report can be found by clicking here.

The 2019 European Coed Slowpitch Championships will be held in Budapest from July 15 – 20, 2019 at which Ireland will be hoping to reclaim a medal.

by Colum Lavery

Countdown to 2019 – #4

Countdown to 2019 – #4

Around the Regions

2018 was another busy summer in the Regions with competitive league tournaments through out.

In Leinster, Dodder regained the Premier Division title from TNT followed by their second team Dynamites winning a tightly contested Division 1 and Renegade Titans winning Division 2. Click here for details on Softball Leinster 2018 Season.

In Ulster, Brawlers from the Belfast Softball Club won their third consecutive league title, however, they didn’t have it all their own way with the Belfast Sliders pushing them all the way to the second last game of the season. Click here for details on Brawlers league win.

Congratulations to all the league winners during 2018.

by Colum Lavery

Counting down to 2019 – #6

#6 – Dublin Indoor Softball Tournament is back

After too long of a break, November saw the return of the Dublin Indoor Softball Tournament under the stewardship of its founder Julie Trundle

Softball Ireland are delighted that Julie Trundle approached Softball Ireland and volunteered to resurrect a tournament that had unfortunately dropped off the softball calendar in Ireland.

DIST was held on November 17, 2018 in a new venue in Dublin City University with 12 teams taking part with former champions Ori-ginals reclaiming their crown.

Next tournament will be held on January 26, 2019 in DCU.

Click here for a full report on DIST 2018