The best of the best of international women’s softball is ready to go with the start of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup taking place on Tuesday at the Balbriggan All Weather Field in Fingal-Dublin in Ireland.
This is the first of three first phase groups as part of the 2024 World Cup and it is the first time that Ireland has been a host country for anything on this scale in the sport.
World No. 1 and 12-time champions USA will be joined by ywo other sides ranked in the World Top 10, Chinese Taipei at number 3 and Australia and number nine.
Great Britain are ranked 16 in the world, one spot ahead of Ireland with Botswana the final side ranked at number 43.
The top four teams from the initial matches will qualify to play in a final round of games on Saturday with the top two going on to play in next year’s Finals in Italy.
Australia take on Great Britain in the first game of the tournament today at 11:00, with the USA facing Chinese Taipei this afternoon and Ireland making their tournament bow at 6:30.
The temporary stadium has been erected in the shadow of Braemor Castle in Balbriggan and full credit is due to Colum Lavery and Melanie Cunningham for having the courage and determination to pull the whole event together.
“As the host nation for Group A, it’s an honour to represent Ireland in front of a home crowd in Balbriggan,” said Ireland Head Coach Cunningham.
“On the field, we think we have a great chance of reaching the final stage of the World Cup, and to do so we have to make sure that we’re one of the four nations competing in the play-offs on Saturday.”
“We also hope to leave a lasting softball legacy in Balbriggan and Ireland as we compete in this wonderful purpose-built stadium that has kindly been provided by Fingal County Council.”
“The team’s preparation has been good. We spent a few days in Limerick, where we trained hard in preparation for the tournament, before returning to Balbriggan last Thursday. Some of our girls got to showcase their skills in front of a national audience on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM TV show which was a lot of fun.”
“Full focus has remained on the tournament throughout, and ensuring that we go as far as we can.”
“I think the new two stage format is not unexpected and aligns more with how other sports progress major championships. Given softball’s variable presence in the Olympics over the last 15 years, it ensures continued competition at the highest level. By allowing group hosting in three different countries it increases the visibility and tremendous athleticism of these exceptional athletes.”
“By Saturday, four of the six nations in our group will still be competing for those two spots in the final stages, and it all makes for a really competitive week.”
