South Africa Women’s Baseball was set to make history for the country with a tour of the United Kingdom from May 28 to June 9, when both a Senior Women’s team and an Under-23 team were meant to compete against a mixture of all-star squads and national teams. Announced by the federation at the start of May, players received letters informing them that the tour had been postponed until 2027.
The tour was intended to begin in Bristol, where the South African sides were scheduled to train and compete on May 30–31, with games against the South West Select and a Sheffield-Manchester Select teams. The tour would have then moved to London for training at Finsbury Park with the London Mets, nine-time consecutive champions of the British Baseball Federation’s National Baseball League, participation in a Ladies Training Day, and an Evening League All-Stars game. Play would then move at the weekend to Farnham Park for the Great Britain Women’s Baseball Invitational Tournament (more on this event soon).
Instead, players have been told that South African Baseball has been invited to field its women’s team at this year’s PONY World Series in Shanghai, from Aug. 2–9. As with the UK tour, players are responsible for raising their own funds. It is worth noting that these endeavors are meant, in part, to bid for a wild card in future WBSC Women’s World Cup events, as stated by a South African Baseball press release:
“This international series forms part of a broader strategic push for recognition on the global stage. South Africa is actively working towards securing a wild card opportunity and ultimately targeting the African qualification spot for future global competitions.“
Although the ambitious tour of Britain has been postponed, South Africa’s federation has been increasing opportunities for its female baseballers, with an end-of-year tour to Zimbabwe in 2025. Its senior men’s national team will be touring Spain and France later this year https://www.mister-baseball.com/south-africa-womens-baseball-cancels-uk-tour/.
According to a statement by South African Baseball: “The squads have been selected following the South African National Baseball Championships in Boksburg, Gauteng, supported by ongoing talent identification over the past four years. The process reflects a clear commitment to developing a strong pipeline of players capable of competing at international level.“
Full rosters for South African Baseball’s senior women’s national team and its Under-23 national team can be found here [link].