Softball proving hit after hit with juniors
SOFTBALL THE first pitches of the 2018-19 softball season were thrown this month, with Softball FNQ welcoming a noticeable increase in youth participation.
In a country where cricket is king, the Cairns-based softball organisation is grateful for anyone who realises there is another bat-and-ball sport.
Many first-time softball players are drawn to the sport for its more evenly distributed batting system.
Whereas junior cricketers batting down the order might not always see time at the crease, their softball counterparts are guaranteed to have at least a few bats every game.
This greater participation is a clincher for many families and their children in taking up the sport.
In recent years, Softball FNQ has also made concerted efforts, through expansion and exposure, to increase local player and spectator numbers.
Softball FNQ secretary Liz Fresser said it was pleasing to see the results first-hand at the Walker Rd Sporting Precinct on the weekends.
“Over the last two seasons, we’ve had a growth rate of 21 per cent, which is just incredible for us, being a smaller sport,” she said.
“That being said, it hasn’t been without a lot of hard work and recruitment.
“We have also started up a men’s competition, giving us another avenue for new registrations.”
Red Sox under-17s and Agrade player Ashlee Dennis, 15, first started playing softball at the age of seven, after she discovered the sport through a friend.
Coming through the junior Queensland program, Dennis represented Queensland at the under-15 national titles and Far North Queensland at the under-17 and under-19 state championships this year.
Dennis’ mother Kristy said the Far North’s softball community was “very welcoming and great to be a part of”.
“It’s just a really close-knit, family-oriented group,” she said.
“There’s also plenty of great opportunities for kids to go far with their softball if they’re willing to put the time and effort in.”
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