This year, a lot of progress has been made for the Softball Ladies. Not only is Softball back Olympic for the L.A. Olympics 2028, but an excellent collaboration has also been established with the National Lottery to support the project “Softball Ladies at bat in 2024”. A great start on the way to the Olympic Qualifiers. At the team front, manager Sven Hendrickx has appointed a new coaching staff and has started off well with showcase weekends, pre-selections and practice games.
22 teams are participating in the 2024 E.C. The format is such that the top 8 teams of the previous E.C. are automatically placed for the semifinals. The 14 other teams will first have to qualify via the preliminary rounds. They are divided into 4 groups and play an Opening Round among themselves, after which the winner of each group also qualifies for the semifinal pool; i.e. the Super Round. The runners up continue in the Placement Round.
Team Belgium, 16th at the previous 2022 European Championship, starts out in Group B together with Malta and Poland.
The Softball Ladies will play their opening game on Sunday 1 September 2024 in De Bilt at 11:30 against Poland. After which they will continue at full speed because the game against Malta is already scheduled for 16:30.
Belgian officials are also active at the E.C.
Umpire in Chief: Louis Vischschoonmaker
Umpire: Tom Bosmans
( note: fans travelling to The Netherlands this weekend will have to avoid the A2 motorway (which is closed due to roadworks) and should plan an alternative route in advance)
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All tournament info, team rosters, schedule, stats and results: here
Team Belgium info: here
Fans eager to witness top-tier softball action in Utrecht, Netherlands, from September 1 to September 7, 2024, are encouraged to secure their tickets as soon as possible.
Season passes for all the games of the Women's Softball European Championship 2024 are now sold out, and only daily tickets remain. The demand is high for this event and only 150 daily tickets are left for the opening day.
For those who have not yet purchased their tickets, this is the opportunity to be part of the event showcasing the top national teams in Europe.
Tickets can be purchased through the official ticketing website.
Games of the Women's Softball European Championship 2024 can be watched live on softballeurope.tv. The tournament pass is available at €29.99, while a single game is €7.99. Live play-by-play is available through the WBSC Europe website.
Photos: WBSC-europe, Franz Van Den Brande
