Softball Ireland and Fingal County Council have officially launched the Women’s Softball World Cup Group A, which will be held in Bremore Castle, Balbriggan from July 11th  to 15th  2023.

Ireland’s national women’s softball team will be joined in Group A by the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Botswana and
Chinese Taipei, with some of the biggest names in the sport descending on Fingal to take part in the competition.

Great Britain and Australia will get the event underway from 11am on Tuesday July 11th, followed by the United States v Chinese Taipei
from 2pm, before the hosts take on Botswana from 6.30pm.  

The family-friendly event will take the form of different themes, including an LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusivity celebration on Wednesday July 12th, a celebration of Balbriggan on Thursday July 13th, and a US-style ‘Friday Night Lights’ theme on the penultimate evening of the Group Stage.

The carnival atmosphere generated at the unique event makes it an ideal activity for the school holidays.  

Each nation will play each other once in the hope of taking their place in the final on Saturday July 15th. The winners of this tie will take their place in the World Cup Final Stage in Italy in 2024, while the losers will play off against the third-place nation for
the right to join them. Spain and Italy will host Groups B and C respectively, later in July.  

“As a strong supporter of women’s sports, I am thrilled to launch Ireland’s role as a co-host of the Women’s Softball World Cup,” said Mayor of Fingal Adrian Henchy.

“It is an incredible opportunity for Fingal to showcase our warm hospitality and love for sports. I encourage everyone to come and experience this unique event in Balbriggan, filled with memorable moments and a festival atmosphere.” 
 
“The Women’s Softball World Cup is a fantastic occasion for Fingal, and we are proud to be part of it,” added Fingal County Council CEO Ann Marie Farrelly.

“We look forward to welcoming the teams from around the world to Ireland’s youngest town and will be creating a family-friendly event that celebrates diversity, community spirit and the highest levels of sporting talent.” 

“I’m delighted about the launch of the Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage A taking place here in Dublin. Not only do Team Ireland have a chance at reaching the finals of the World Cup but they finally get to play in front of a home crowd and leave a lasting legacy, in the wonderful purpose-built softball field, kindly provided by Fingal County Council.”

“The hosting of a sporting World Cup in Ireland doesn’t come around every year, making it an unmissable event, with memories that are sure to last a lifetime.” 

Tickets for the Women’s Softball World Cup group stage are available now and can be found via this link. Day passes are €15, weekly passes are €60 and a weekly family pass (2 Adult & 2 Children) is €145. For more information and for tickets check out our website softballwcireland.ie or tickets.ie.

Sport for Business is a media partner of the Women’s World Cup Group A hosting and we will have coverage of the build up and the event through early July, including chats with Ireland Head Coach, Dr Melanie Cunningham who doubles up as a surgical lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and with Director of Softball Ireland Colum Lavery who is also the Head of Governance at World Rugby.

It promises to be a heck of an event and is already a winner for Ireland in a sport that is pitching, pardon the pun, to be a permanent sport on the Olympic programme.