From Norman Ames:
So proud!!! The ISF awarded the organization of the 2014 World Championships Softball Women to Haarlem, The Netherlands. First WC Softball in Europe!!!
Some additional information from the press release last summer, from the ESF (European Softball Federation) website:
The Dutch bids for 2014 World Championship Women
Experienced Olympia Haarlem wants to host top women’s international softball event
Haarlem, the Netherlands – The Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation sent in a bid to host the International Softball Federation XIV Women’s World Championship in 2014 at the venue of Olympia Haarlem.
European Softball Federation President André van Overbeek said that a successful track record of the host, will guarantee the organization of the World’s biggest fast pitch event for the first time in softball history in Europe. “Olympia Haarlem will do a terrific job hosting the ISF women’s world championship in 2014,” the ESF president said. “They proved as much when they organized our 2010 European Club Tournaments with 19 club-teams competing at their venue. Plus the community’s support for softball from the city of Haarlem and their proven ability as a site for large sporting and cultural events assures that the teams, the fans, and the media will all have a great experience in the summer of 2014.”
The unique location at Olympia Haarlem with 2 softball fields, training fields, clubhouse and the teams hotel within walking distance and the expansion of the existing stands, V.I.P facilities and a promo village for the fans, is hoped to be a factor for winning the bid.
“Olympia Haarlem and the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation are pleased to host the world,” said Peter van der Aart, Chair of the Organizing Committee for the 2014 World Championship. “After hosting successful and exciting ESF European Cup tournaments in 2010, we will be honoured to host the 2014 women’s world championship in Holland. We look forward to working with the ISF to make this an unforgettable experience for our local community, fans from all over the world and all the participating teams.”
Together with the European Softball Federation, the Organizing Committee will launch a plan on the road to 2014 to involve all ESF Federations in this unique event for Europe.
The event in Haarlem will come two years after the XIII Women’s World Championship, which will be held in 2012 at Yukon, Whitehorse in Canada. As such, it fulfils the implementation of a two-year rotation for ISF world championships instead of every four years. That change was adopted at the ISF congress in 2009.
The women’s world championship in Haarlem in 2014 is expected to take place in August of that year, with exact dates currently being finalized.
Bids for the World Championship Women 2014 will be awarded later this year at the ISF congress in Oklahoma City (USA) October 27-30.
About the ESF
The ESF is Europe’s governing body for softball as recognized by the International Softball Federation (ISF) with 36 of the 128 affiliated Federations within the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.