The Strandfontein Mets Softball Club hosted a Women’s Day Friendly on Wednesday 9 August, at their home grounds Strandfontein Sports Complex.
Rabia Isaacs, club chair, says games ran from 11:00 to 17:00 and featured several teams, including youth and senior teams.
This was the second annual friendly, following last year’s inaugural event.
“Strandfontein Mets Softball Club’s aims and goals are to bring softball awareness to the youth of Strandfontein and surrounding areas,” says Isaacs.
The club was established in 1979 to cater for the Strandfontein area.
“Being a small community at that time, the club consisted of mostly families and friends. Our colours at the time were green and white. Our colours are now green, yellow and white. We have a ladies team which is comprised of 30 players and a junior team of 15 players. Our youngest player being five and oldest being 64 years old,” says Isaacs.
The event exceeded expectations, says Isaacs, in both the number of players and participants.
“After (the Covid-19 pandemic), there was a decline in young girls and women playing sports. Hosting softball friendly games was a way of celebrating women in sports.
“Softball is a sport predominantly played by women. Softball is a sport that can be played from the age of five years till way into your 70s. At our Women’s Day Friendly, the youngest participant was five and the eldest was 75 years old,” she says.
“As Strandfontein Mets Softball Club has been around for more than four decades, we have always emphasized the importance of youth in growing the sport. Softball helps the youth in being disciplined, focused and to be sociable. It also allows them to meet people of other cultures and create lifelong friendships.”
While the sport is well established, Isaacs says more needs to be done to create awareness and exposure for the sport, both locally and at the school level.
