Over the last several months Softball NZ has been working with Little League International in an attempt to affiliate and in doing so enter an Under 15 girls team in the Little League ‘Junior’ Division.

Little League offers a number of divisions for girls softball however we have targeted the Junior Division (12-14 yrs.) as a starting point before considering the entry of teams in wider age groups / divisions.

The winner of the Little League National U15 Girls Tournament in Palmerston North, January, 2019 will qualify to compete in the Asia – Pacific Qualifier in Singapore, June, 2019.

The tournament winner will progress to Kirkland, Washington, July/August, 2019 to compete in the Little League Junior Division World Series. Expenses to compete in the World Series are covered by Little League International.

This is a fantastic opportunity to provide an additional pathway to promote the youth game and further the development of female softball.

Please find attached information pertaining to the Little League programme. In addition please see the overview of the Little League programme below:
· Free online training through the Little League University for:
o Coaches and Managers
o Umpires
o Parents
· All Little League Softball World Series games will be streamed or televised on ESPN
· Age determination date used is December 31/January 1 i.e. a player who will be 12 before January 1 and a player cannot turn 15 prior to January 1 (12-14).
· Currently over 360,000 girls participate in Little League Softball (all divisions) in over 25 countries worldwide.

Softball NZ will provide further information via email and our website as we get closer to the Little League National Under 15 Girls Tournament in January, 2019.