Black Sox victory boosts hosting bid
Softball New Zealand are hoping the Black Sox’s seventh world championship gold medal will lead to a boost in funding and are pressing ahead with a bid to host the 2021 world tournament.
Tony Giles, Softball New Zealand’s chief executive, confirmed a bid had already been lodged with the World Baseball Softball Council, who will make a decision in October at their 2017 congress in Botswana.
The men’s world championships were last held in New Zealand in 2013 when the Black Sox won at Albany and Giles said it was time they returned to Auckland.
‘‘We’ve got a great venue at Rosedale Park, and we believe there’s a good feeling about softball in New Zealand, especially after this latest success.’’
Giles has already secured support in principle from the Major Events In New Zealand national agency and is seeking backing from ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development).
He understood Argentina were considering a bid to host the 2021 tournament in Parana, but New Zealand has some heavyweight backing.
‘‘Canada is going to support us, which is great. They have had six male world championships since 2009 and would like to see it go to us.’’
Giles said it was an exciting time for international men’s softball with a Top Eight Nations tournament set to start in 2020 in Saskatoon, Canada.
‘‘That will give our elite men a pinnacle international event every year, which can only good for the game.’’
Giles hopes the WBSC ‘‘grab footage from the last two games at the world champs and market it to boost exposure of the men’s game’’.
‘‘It was real theatre,’’ he said of the Black Sox’s 12-11 comeback win over Canada and 6-4 victory over Australia in the final after Joel Evans’ grand slam home run.
The Black Sox will defend their title at the 2019 world championships in Prague - the first to be held in Europe.
Giles said plans were underway for the New Zealand team to visit Prague in 2018 for a minitournament to familiarise themselves with conditions in the Czech Republic before the world series.
SNZ plan to hold their Challenge Cup international tournament on an annual basis in Auckland after initiating it this year with the Black Sox beating Argentina in the final.
The 2018 Challenge Cup entries would be finalised by October, but Australia, Japan and the Czech Republic had already confirmed their interest.
Canada, the 2015 world champions, had declined because they are set to attend the 2018 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.
Giles said the tournament naming rights sponsor ‘‘signed on again’’ and the principal sponsors of the Black Sox and the Junior Black Sox (national under-19 boy’s team) had already committed to extending their support.
‘‘We are confident that the Black Sox’s success will help us attract more commercial partners.’’
Giles said he hoped the seventh title win would allow SNZ to have ‘‘different conversations’’ with Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand.
‘‘We’ve always tended to go in a little bit cap in hand, as a blue collar sport grateful for what we can get.
‘‘ Now we can talk about our sport in a different light. We’ve got a great story to tell.’’
Most of the Black Sox arrive in Auckland on Wednesday on a flight also bearing New Zealand’s under-21 netball world championship winners.