The Softball NSW Waratah League is back in 2023!

The League offers development opportunities for younger representative players, as well as older players outside of the State Teams Program, to continue to develop skills and game experience at a high level, with the potential to progress in the future to a position within the State League competition.

Softball NSW is now calling for team expressions of interest to participate in the 2023 Waratah League. Waratah League will be run as two separate competitions in 2023 – one for Men and one for Women.

LEAGUE TIMINGS

The 2023 Waratah League will occur on the following dates:

• Sunday 16 April 2023 – location: Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP)

• Sunday 30 April 2023 – location: Stanhope Gardens Softball Fields (Cumberland Nepean)

• Sunday 14 May 2023 – location: Kelso Park North Softball Fields (Georges River)

• Sunday 21 May 2023 – location: Jacquie Osmond Reserve (Southern Districts)

• Sunday 4 June 2023 – location: Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP)

Both the Men’s and Women’s League competitions will be played predominantly on Sundays. Additional games may be scheduled in the evenings midweek if required, dependent on team entry numbers. Association hosting locations will be updated once confirmed.

LEAGUE LOCATION

The Men’s and Women’s Waratah League in 2023 will be held predominantly at local Association grounds, with the Playoffs and Finals held at the Softball Centre at Blacktown International Sportspark (Gate A, 81 Eastern Road, Rooty Hill NSW 2766).

It is planned that at least one Sunday of the competition will be held at a Regional Association venue. All participating teams will be expected to travel and attend.

COST

The cost per team to enter the 2023 Waratah League competition is $1,200.00.

A deposit of $600.00 and the final team roster is required no later than three weeks prior to the competition start date. The balance of the entry fee ($600.00) is due by no later than two weeks prior to the first game.

Team fees must be paid via direct deposit to Softball NSW (details included in the Waratah League Information document below).

TEAM EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AND TEAM ENTRY

Teams are asked to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by Sunday 19 March 2023 to indicate their intention to participate in the 2023 Waratah League competition, via the following form:

2023 Softball NSW Waratah League Expression of Interest

An official team roster form for completion will be sent to all teams that complete the Expression of Interest. Teams must register their official team roster by Sunday 26 March 2023. There will be no cap on the number of teams that can enter for the 2023 competitions.

A minimum of twelve (12) players and a minimum of three (3) officials – namely a Head Coach, Manager, and Statistician – must be included on the final team roster. The name of at least one (1) Level 2 or above team umpire must also be provided.

Once the official team rosters have been submitted, Softball NSW will coordinate all permits and team lists in RevolutioniseSPORT.

PLEASE NOTE: As per the 2023 Waratah League Regulations, Softball NSW Association Representative teams are not permitted to participate in Waratah League.

PICK-UP FORM

For those players and officials who wish to register their interest to participate in Waratah League, but do not already have a team contact, a pick-up form has been created:

2023 Softball NSW Waratah League Pick-Up Form

Softball NSW will aim to allocate pick-up players and officials where possible to Waratah League teams, to increase participation.

DETAILED INFORMATION

For more detailed information on the 2023 Softball NSW Waratah League, please see the documents below:

Softball NSW Waratah League Information 2023

(also includes administrative timelines and deadlines for team entry / pick-up submissions, etc.)

Waratah League Regulations 2023

(please take note of ineligibility criteria for players)

For any further information in relation to Waratah League, please contact Softball NSW Events & Facilities Coordinator Aimee Sutton via events@softballnsw.org.au.