Softball Leinster (SL) is happy to announce that our Co-ED softball league will begin returning to gender-balanced, non-exclusionary, lineups in the 2023 season. We are delighted to take this step for equality in our sport and to realign with the international standard set by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Softball in Ireland has been played with a lineup of 6 men and 4 women for over a decade, a situation which the current SL committee has targeted as an area to address for some time . COVID impact years were particularly challenging, but in 2022 there was a concerted effort by many teams to grow their female membership. As a result, roughly 47% of all active players in the 2022 season were female; a tremendous improvement and a figure that all clubs and captains have worked hard on to achieve. After much discussion and analysis over the past year, the club captains met on February 28th and officially decided that 2 of the 4 Leinster divisions would return to gender-balanced, non-exclusionary, lineups in the upcoming 2023 season. The goal is to move on to the remaining divisions after this season. The move to non-exclusionary, gender-balanced lineups is another positive step for equality in our sport, and continues our progress in developing a fair, balanced and safe environment for all players in our association. We’d like to thank all of the working group involved in this. Thank you for your continued support of softball in Leinster and a very Happy International Women’s Day to all our female players, coaches and supporters.
