Teams from 16 different countries are currently in Cape Town for the 9th Junior Women’s World Softball Championships, which is taking place in Athlone.
The City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department is partnering with the South African Softball Federation to host the event.
The championship competition is run under the auspices of the International Softball Federation, which holds the prestigious tournament every four years.
The countries taking part include Australia, Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, the USA and Zimbabwe.
This is the first time that Cape Town is hosting such a tournament, although the country has a proven track record of hosting major international sporting events, such as the successful 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the Cricket and Rugby World Cups, the Swatch FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour; and the 20-20 Cricket World Cup amongst others.
The City of Cape Town aims to build on this experience and success to ensure that Cape Town remains a local and international sporting destination of choice.
In order to successfully host the softball tournament, Turfhall Stadium in Athlone underwent an extensive upgrade to make it a world-class facility. This included additional seating for both fields, an upgrade to the stands, a new media facility, a refurbished umpires’ facility, improved players’ change rooms and improved medical facilities. The 2 400-seater stadium was completed in 1999 and is the home of the Western Province Softball Federation. The 40 clubs affiliated to the federation will benefit from the upgraded facilities in the future.
Tickets are R20 each and are available at Computicket, or on the World Championships website. There is also a Facebook page for the event.
- Dates: 7 – 17 December 2011
- Times: 10:30 – 19:30
- Venue: Turfhall Sports Complex, Belthorn Estate, Athlone
For more information about the tournament, click here.
