Female baseball continues 'huge growth' across N.L., now counting close to 1,000 players
C.B.S. hosted its first all-female provincials over the weekend, showcasing its own increased numbers
For the first time ever, Conception Bay South hosted an all-female baseball tournament, when it welcomed six teams from across Newfoundland and Labrador over the weekend for the 12U A provincials.
Steve Bartlett, coach of host team C.B.S. Raiders, says while his association sent a girls' team to the provincials last year, they never competed in a regular league.
This year, a girls' team is doing both, which he believes is a sign of growing interest in the sport in the community.
"The reason it's grown is because it's so exciting," said Bartlett. "There's a lot of action, there's a lot of team spirit. It's infectious.
"It's so magnificent to hear the girls cheering each other on. And their team, they're trying their best. It's magic."
The Raiders welcomed the St. John's Capitals, Paradise Phantoms, Gander Pilots, Grand Falls-Windsor Braves and Pasadena Pirates to bat it out for gold on Kiwanis Field.
Fifteen players are on the roster for the host team. Bartlett said interest from more players was there, but due to limited space, registration had to be capped.
On the west coast, in Pasadena, David Baines has been experiencing the same growth.
Baines coaches the 14U Pirates but came to C.B.S. to cheer on his younger daughter in the 12U tournament.
"It's gone from my oldest daughter in U14 trying to get together a group of girls to now, we have for 12U two teams, enough to support two teams and some," said Baines. "We just hosted our very first provincial tournament for 14U, as well."
He said several towns on Newfoundland's west coast — Stephenville, Deer Lake, Corner Brook and Pasadena — have teamed together to play games, as well, and fields in the area are increasingly booked up.
For Baines, the town's support as well as quality coaches and involved parents are what help draw in more female athletes.
"They show up to every practice. They are willing to listen, and if you're a good listener, you're a great player because you're there to learn, and it's easier to teach and to coach these young athletes," he said.
"They really want to be part of a team and they really enjoy that social aspect."
It's an observation that is backed by science, says Kristyn Coley, minor baseball chair of Baseball N.L., and women and girls committee chair for Baseball Canada.
"There is a lot of studies that do support that the social part of sports for girls is very, very important," she said. "That's something that we really lean into by providing those programs where we're putting a lot of importance on the social aspect."
Over the past 10 years, said Coley, female baseball in the province has seen "huge growth," with several provincial divisions, plus local leagues. This season, she said, there are more girls' teams than ever across the province. Accordingly, athlete numbers have grown by more than 100, adding up to a total of almost 1,000 female players.
"About 25 per cent of all people playing baseball in the province now is female," said Coley. "Not just in the province but across the country we stack up very well."
The provincial association, she said, offers programming for kids, from a young age up to their teens, to further foster this development. That, in combination with strong volunteerism and successful examples of female baseball players from the province, like Jada Lee or Heather Healey, draws in higher numbers of girls than ever before, she said.
Coley said Baseball N.L. will continue the development of female officials and coaches in the off-season, and it plans to offer an 18U or 21U provincial female league next summer to ensure that athletes over 16 have options to continue playing.
"It's very exciting, definitely keeps me going because every year it's like, 'OK, what's the next thing?' And seeing all that growth has been really inspiring," she said.
Bartlett is also looking at the next thing. He hopes that in the coming season, the C.B.S. Kiwanis Minor Baseball Association will have two or three girls' teams in other divisions — and he says interest from new players is already there.
"We see an explosion of women's sports globally, women's hockey, women's basketball. And I think women's baseball is next," said Bartlett.
"With those opportunities, you're seeing a lot of great talent develop and emerge."
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
