Category: Board

by Colum Lavery

Softball Ireland Launches Slow Pitch Softball Development Plan

Softball Ireland has today launched the Slow Pitch Softball Development Plan 2022-2026.

The Development Plan will be the key policy document that sets out the overall strategy for the sustainable development and growth of Slow Pitch Softball in Ireland for the period 2022-2026 and beyond.

The Plan clearly sets out Softball Ireland’s vision for the sport going forward and will include toolkits designed to provide practical support to Teams and Regional Associations to recruit, develop and retain players in slow pitch Softball.

Commenting on the release of the Plan, President of Softball Ireland, Colum Lavery commented; “The launch of the Slowpitch Development Plan is both an exciting and defining moment for our sport. As we move into a post pandemic world, Softball Ireland has set itself the target that by 2026, Slow Pitch Softball will be a co-ed sport of choice in Ireland providing social, recreational, and high-performance sporting opportunities throughout all provinces and communities.“

Colum Lavery added that “Sport relies on strong governance, leaders and decision makers to create a pathway and to develop an environment in which Teams and Regional Associations can grow our sport. Softball in Ireland will rely on the leaders in ours Teams and Regional Associations to drive change in their organisations to ensure we get better governance, better coaching and better development pathways to support the growth and effectiveness of this plan. Sodtball Ireland are already starting the work to implement the Slowpitch Development Plan but if we’re to truly see a step change in the growth and retention of Softball Teams and Players across the sport, then the implementation of the content of this Development Plan is central to that.”

Softball Ireland will now commence the process of co-ordinating with Regional Associations to implement the plan. The plan is available on the Softball Ireland website at the below link:

Softball Ireland Slowpitch Development Plan 2022 – 2026

Acknowledgements

Softball Ireland would like to thank the members of the Development Plan Working Group; Andrew Craven (Chair), Will Gilpin, Vinny McGrane and Amanda Ní Ghabhann for their time and dedication in developing the plan.

Softball Ireland further wish to thank the Development Vision Working Group; Ruth Brady, Declan Carty, Jay Slevin, Eoin Wood, and our external facilitators Katie Sadleir and Myra McGlynn, for creating the vision and principles that underpin the Plan.

by Colum Lavery

Massimo Lepri RIP

With great sadness, Softball Ireland wish to share with our membership that our dear friend Massimo Lepri, Softball Ireland Treasurer, Umpire and co-founder of Wicklow Wolves Softball Club, passed away this morning surrounded by his family after a long and valiant battle with illness.

Massimo will be sorely missed by all of us who have had the pleasure to know him.

The thoughts of the Softball Ireland Board are with Massimo’s wife Louise and son Sean at this time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Inclusivity is an important part of the Softball Ireland ethos.
by Colum Lavery

Registration for IOST – Open

The previously postponed IOST has been reorganised as a one day event to be held in ALSAA on Saturday September 18, 2021.

Team entry cost is €150 and teams are advised to register as early as possible with registration closing Monday 13th September at 5pm.

Click Here to Register for IOST


Please note any registration for the original date of 21st of August does not carry over to this tournament, you will need to re-register.

Umpires & Game Balls for the tournament will be provided by Softball Ireland.

COVID guidelines are still in place and the latest Return to Play Protocol (RTPP) can be found here:
http://www.softball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/si-rtpp-v3.2.pdf

Teams from Northern Ireland may now travel to the Republic of Ireland for games provided they follow the additional medical advice on page 2 of the RTPP.

All games at the IOST will be streamed live.

If you have any questions please email tournaments@softball.ie

by Colum Lavery

Senan Dormer Appointed Slowpitch National Teams Head Coach

Softball Ireland are delighted to confirm the reappointment of Senan Dormer as the Irish Coed Slowpitch and Men’s Slowpitch National Teams Head Coach.

Senan was originally appointed to the role of Coed Slowpitch National Team Coach in 2015 leading national teams to 2 bronze medals during his tenure to date. Senan has been appointed until December 2023 which will include three European Championships and potentially the inaugural Coed Slowpitch World Cup.

I addition to Senan’s appointment, the Softball Ireland Board also confirmed the appointment of Karen Brady, Peter Mullen and Eoin Coonan as programme assistant coaches.

Senan Dormer said “I am delighted to be reappointed as head coach of the Irish Slowpitch National teams. I look forward to the challenges ahead. I have a coaching team of Karen Brady, Peter Mullen and Eoin Coonan. I look forward to bringing more silverware to Ireland and trying to qualify for the inaugural Slowpitch Softball World Cup.”

Speaking on Senan’s appointment, Softball Ireland President Colum Lavery said “Together with the Board we are delighted to reappoint Senan to the role. Senan has a proved track record at European Championships since 2015 and we are confident he will take the programme forward”. Lavery added “We are entering a challenging period post COVID for national teams and Senan and his coaching team have vast international slowpitch softball experience on and off the field and we are confident that they will bring through the next generation of players at the international level.”

Subject to the approval of the Softball Ireland medical committee, the Coed Slowpitch National Team is scheduled to play in the World Series in London during September 2021.

Softball Ireland have confirmed that the position of Director of Slowpitch National Team remains vacant and will be readvertised shortly.

by Colum Lavery

Softball Ireland Board Changes

It is with regret that Softball Ireland announce that further to Amanda Ní Ghabhann’s resignation as Secretary of Softball Leinster, the Softball Ireland Board have reluctantly accepted Amanda’s retirement from the Softball Ireland Board as her mandate as the Softball Leinster Representative has concluded.

Amanda has been an active member of the Board following her appointment in November 2019 during what has been a challenging period due to COVID. In particular Softball Ireland wish to note that thanks to Amanda’s effort and expertise we now have in place a Safeguarging policy and a diversity policy in particular.

We are delighted to confirm that Amanda had agreed to continue her position as Softball Ireland National Childrens Officer and as a member on the Slowpitch Ireland Development Committee who are in the process of finalising the draft Slowpitch Development plan.

The Softball Ireland Board would like to thank Amanda for her contribution to the Board and we look forward to continuing to work with Amanda on key areas moving forward.

by Colum Lavery

Softball players taking hits for Men’s Health Week raise £260 for Cancer Focus NI

Softball Ulster hosted its inaugural Homerun Derby on Sunday, 20th June 2021 raising £260 for Cancer Focus NI as part of Men’s Health Week. 

Over 20 men and women battled it out to reach the final round, knocking as many homeruns as they could in 3 minutes to take home prizes kindly donated by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Sports Development team; First Prize: 2 Golf Passes to Aberdelgy Golf Club and Second Prize: 2 Golf Passes for Castlereagh Hills Golf Club.

Conditions were tough for those in the first round on Diamond 1 with a strong head wind, so we decided to take the top two from both diamonds into the final round where Amelie Viratham and James Calow smashed balls over 200 ft and 275ft respectively to be crowned winners with Barthe McCormick and Tom Napier runners up.

Jocelyn Horton, Vice-chair of Softball Ulster’s organising committee said, “we were very excited to host our first charitable Homerun Derby and give our players a chance to flex their muscles in aid of a good cause. In 2020, the pandemic severely affected our chances to play competitively and connect with our teammates, but when we got the chance, many players told us how much they had missed the game, it’s social aspects, and that taking part in the sport truly helped their mental wellbeing. So the Derby was an opportunity to have a fun contest as part of Men’s Health Week and raise vital funds for Cancer Focus NI.

The health of our players is important to us, not just their physical health, but also their mental and social health as part of our ‘SAFE: Softball Action For Everyone’ programme which focuses on creating a safe, inclusive, diverse and healthy space for all players. This time, the spotlight was on men’s health, particularly testicular cancer – hence the Derby’s cheeky subtitle ‘Check your Balls!’ So we are thrilled to be able to donate £260 to Cancer Focus NI from the Derby, raffle and donations!”

The Homerun Derby was part of the annual Carrie Trundle Cup being held at Queen Elizabeth’s Playing Fields, Ballymacoss and its success means Softball Ulster be looking to repeat it next year on the condition that we buy a net for our volunteer pitchers, something Phil Wallace will be glad to hear!

A major part of this successful event was the volunteers, from raffle ticket sellers, pitchers, catchers, scorers, timers to Homerun Derby entrants, who all combined their efforts to make for a great, fun and entertaining event.

The funds raised for Cancer Focus NI enables them to continue to provide vital services and support to those who need it, especially as charities struggled to fundraise throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Softball Ulster are glad to be a part of that!

by Colum Lavery

Galway to launch inaugral Co-ed Slowpitch Softball League

Softball Ireland wish to congratulate the Committee of Galway Softball Club on the creation of the Galway League which will commence on Monday June 21, 2021. The efforts of the Committee has seen huge growth in the Galway area with membership doubling as Galway exited lockdown.

The four team league will be played at St Marys College between 6 pm and 8 pm on Mondays through to September 6, 2021. Galway Softball Club have also secured local sponsorship for the inaugral league with An Púcán, Kennys Bookshop, Irishscores.com & Megadale Automation agreeing to naming sponsorship of each of the league teams.

Speaking on Galway Softball Clubs announcement, Softball Ireland President Colum Lavery said “We are delighted to welcome the Galway Softball League to the Softball Ireland family. The growth of Softball in Galway has been a joy to watch over the last number of years and the efforts of the club members during the lockdown has been phenomenal.”

Lavery added “Galway have shown that there is a need for and demand for social, co-ed sporting activites post COVID, and we believe Softball offers the perfect mix of social interaction together with both recreational and competitive sport depending on the level you wish to play at. Today is about celebrating the succes of Galway Softball Club and celebrating the inaugral league which launches this Monday.“

Speaking about the inaugral Galway League, Vinny McGrane Galway Softball Chairman said “It’s a great day for Galway Softball to be able to announce the inaugural Galway League.

Without our sponsors we would have really struggled to get this off the floor so a big thank you to An Púcán, Kennys Bookshop, Irishscores.com & Megadale Automation. The fact that Galway Softball can attract the support of such impressive companies is a great measure of our current success.

There has been huge efforts to make this happen and I would like thank Softball Ireland for their support over the years, the Galway Softball Committee and all the people that kept the club going since 1998. But most of all the players who have made this possible.”

Details on teams and fixtures for the inaugral Galway League are available on the club website and if you are interested in playing details are available here.

by Colum Lavery

Brian Walshe Cup – June 12, 2021 – Registration Open

The Brian Walshe Cup is scheduled to be held June 12th in ALSAA. Unfortunately due to the current government advice on cross border travel, teams from Northern Ireland may not register for this tournament. Softball Ireland are continuing to work with Softball Ulster on the format for an Ulster team to qualify for the BWC Finals Day.

The cost of entering the tournament on the day is €150 per team.

Register for the Brian Walshe Cup 2021

To comply with the advice of the SI Medical Committee the following will be adhered to:

1. There will be no “borrowing” of players from other teams on the day, i.e. players may play with one team only to limit their number of contacts and exposures.
2. The competition will be divided into groups containing a maximum of 4 teams again to limit the amount of exposures. As a result we cannot guarantee entry for all teams that register so please register as early as possible.
3. All players must be registered with SI before playing and team rosters must be submitted for contact tracing purposes.

Please see the Covid hub of the SI website for the latest Medical Committee advice:
http://www.softball.ie/covid-19-hub/

If you have any questions please email tournaments@softball.ie

Registration closes Monday 7th June @ 5pm.

Register for Brian Walshe Cup
by Colum Lavery

Game ON! Return to Play Dates Confirmed

Further to the confirmation of the Government that sports clubs in the Republic of Ireland may return to training in groups of up to 15 from May 10, 2021. We are delighted to confirm that having considered the recommendation of the Medical Committee, the Softball Ireland Board have confirmed that softball training may return in Republic of Ireland from May 10, 2021 subject to the following conditions:


(I) The Government continue to permit sports teams to partake in training sessions; and
(II) All teams in the Republic of Ireland to continue to train in accordance with Government advice and restrictions; and
(III) All training sessions are held in accordance with the updated Softball Ireland Return to Play Protocol set out on the Softball Ireland website; and
(IV) Players are only permitted to attend and train with teams (clubs) they are registered with.


To further assist Teams return to play, a COVID-19 Risk Assessment Guidance and a downloadable COVID-19 Risk Assessment Template have been prepared by the Softball Ireland Medical Committee and are available on the Softball Ireland website.


To assist the Medical Committee with its constant review of Protocols and Guidelines, we would be appreciative of feedback on these from all Teams to allow us to improve and support the return to softball further.


We can confirm, that subject to Government restrictions remaining unchanged, the Softball Ireland insurance policy will be re-activated with effect from May 10, 2021 for Republic of Ireland Team for training only.

Based on the Government announcement, competition/leagues may be permitted to commence from June 7, 2021 and Softball Ireland will continue to liaise with Sport Ireland on the matter.

by Colum Lavery

2021 Registration & Team Fees Announced

As the outlook for the 2021 season continues to look on the up, Softball Ireland are inviting teams wishing to play in leagues or tournaments in 2021 to register with Softball Ireland.

Membership of Softball Ireland provides players with insurance to play in leagues and tournaments as well as opening up access to training and educational courses provided to Softball Ireland throughout the season. The Softball Ireland membership fee (paid through your team) allows Softball Ireland cover its ongoing operational and development costs.

Teams participating in the Softball Ulster league or the Softball Leinster mid-week league should register through their region, all other teams wishing to register with Softball Ireland should email the Softball Ireland Secretary.

FEES

The Softball Ireland Board had confirmed the 2021 teams fees as follows:

Team Fee (which includes insurance) – €350

Development Levy* – €30 per team

The development levy will be ringfenced for investment in coaching and umpiring courses and the implementation of the Sofbtall Ireland Slowpitch Development Plan.

An overview of the Softball Ireland 2021 budget and the allocation of members funds may be accessed here