Batter up and play ball

CHILDREN, teenagers and adults are getting ready to “batter up” for the Noosa softball summer season which starts on Saturday 8 October – and new and past players are encouraged to join up.
Boys and girls from as young as four years learn ball skills in a fun team atmosphere, with the competition played at the same time every Saturday morning at the softball diamonds in Tewantin.
There are mixed boys and girls teams from Little League to Under 17s, as well as adults.
Noosa District Softball Association president Jenny Clifford said the sport is ideal for anyone who wants to learn skills and have fun.
The association has been running for about 35 years and now has second generation players.
“Little League for ages 4-9 years is a wonderful way for the kids to learn ball skills and have fun with their teammates or to build on skills they already have,” Jenny said.
“They can then go on to play Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 with qualified coaching and training provided along the way.
“For the adults who might’ve played when they were at school or would just like to have a go, we have social softball or they can get involved in coaching the kids’ teams.”
The association has three clubs – Redsox, Dodgers and Slammers – who all field teams in the various age groups. The clubs provide playing shirts, bats, gloves and balls for players.
“While the kids form great friendships with other players, we find the mums and dads love that the games are played at the same time and in the same place every Saturday,” Jenny said.
Under 13s player Chloe, who started in Noosa’s Little League competition when she was four years old, said she is looking forward to the new season.
“Everyone from all the teams is really friendly and it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose a game – it’s always fun,” Chloe said.
While the weekly competition is friendly and social for players of all abilities, there is also the opportunity to go on to representative levels.
Noosa, which hosted the recent Queensland Under 15 Schoolboy Titles, has current Australian and Queensland representatives in Under 15s, Under 17s and Under 21s, including some who started playing softball in Noosa as five-year-olds.
“With softball coming back to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, there’s been great interest in the sport,” Jenny said. “We’d love to see a Noosa player in the Australian team in Tokyo.”
Sign-on for Noosa softball for all ages is on Wednesday 5 October, 3-5pm at the Noosa District Sports Complex, Butler Street. Email noosasoftball@gmail.com or phone 0407 532 722.