SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
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www.sportseventsmagazine.com 2016 Baseball/Softball Sourcebook 11 PONY EXPANDS ITS RANKS PONY Softball estimates there are approx- imately 45,000 players who play PONY league, and the numbers continue to increase, especially among girls. The organization has put major emphasis on reaching out to more communities and m ore people in order to continue growing the game. "We are reaching into areas where we don't already have PONY Softball and into states and regions where we don't currently have a strong presence, said PONY Softball President and CEO Abe Key. "We are also working with our local organizations to do more community outreach to make sure more people are aware of PONY Softball and the benefits of playing the game." SENIORS IN THE GAME Softball isn't just growing in the younger age groups. Groups like Senior Softball USA (SSUSA) are also experiencing growth. In fact, the organization saw more than 500 teams participate at the LVSSA/SSUSA World Masters last year. "That was a record for us," said Fran Dowell, SSUSA Executive Director. "Thankfully, we continue to grow, both with men and women." With approximately 30,000 members, Senior Softball USA is doing all it can to help that number continue to increase and is listening to member recommenda- tions for improvements. "We try to stay up-to-date on what our members would like changed to make the game better," Dowell said. "One way we do that is having a meeting at our annual conven- tion where they can give suggestions and ideas on anything they would like changed." The International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) is experiencing growth as well, especially in its 50 and over division. "We have been experiencing approximately a 20 percent growth in our program the last couple of years," said RB Thomas Jr., International Senior Softball Association executive director. "One of the reasons we're seeing this growth, especial- ly in our 50 and over division, is that more people are playing the sport longer." ISSA is always looking for ways to make it easier for current and prospective members to get involved and enjoy the game. "We try to help encourage participa- tion and so we've simplified the entry sys- tem, which is why we don't require a play- er to purchase a card to play in our pro- g ram," Thomas said. "We also make it easy for teams that are traveling to partici- pate in a tournament by allowing pick up players. Sometimes teams have to drop out of tournaments because they don't have enough players, so we've created a situa- tion to make it easier for teams to add players as long as they are listed at the same rating." With more than 20 tournaments per year—some of which have at least 100 teams participating—ISSA knows that hosting great events has been a significant part of its success. To make those great events happen, the association focuses on finding the best destination possible for the particular event. That means the city must offer championship-quality, adult-sized fields, quality facilities and reasonable hotel rates. "Destinations that are vacation spots are good senior tournament sites so we tend to host a number of events in ocean resort destinations as we know that's a preferred place the players want to go." Another aspect that Thomas feels improves the quality of the tournaments for participants is developing a relation- ship with the host community. "We can't travel halfway across the country with enough staff to deal with every issue at an event, so we need the host city to be a partner and provide some local services to facilitate the tournament and make it a great event for participants," he said. KEY COMPONENTS ISSA relies on the host city to provide a maintenance staff to prepare and main- tain the fields properly and ensure items like water are placed in the dugout for all games. "The little things really add up when we are talking to a potential host city," Thomas said. "This is one of the reasons we must have a site visit because some cities oversell what they will do and what they can offer." SSUSA sanctions approx-imately 70 events per year, and to make each and every one a success, association leaders rely on a strong relationship with the host city. "We have been very fortunate because many of our host cities have been working with us for a long time," Dowell said. "Long-termed partnerships are great because not only do you get to know the people, the properties and the fields, but you also come to rely on the CVB/sports commission to help with anything that you need." n softball: International Senior Softball Association: 8,000+ participants Senior Softball USA: 30,000 participants PONY Softball: 45,000+ participants ASA/USA Softball: 2.5 million participants *Numbers are approximate. By The Numbers