Women's Baseball World Series
Encyclopedia
The Women's Baseball World Series is a now defunct international tournament in which originally national women's baseball
teams from around the world competed before being overtaken by the Women's Baseball World Cup
in . It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation
.
sent a nationally selected squad, sponsored by a sports drink company named Team Energen, to Florida to participate in the North American Women's Baseball League
’s 1999 South Florida Diamond Classic.
At the 1999 South Florida Diamond Classic showed that Team Energen they could play at the top level of women’s baseball and after a meeting between Japanese and American officials following the tournament, plans were initiated for a contest between a national women’s baseball team from the United States
and Team Energen in Tokyo
.
In May of 2000, a United States national women's baseball team flew to Tokyo and played the first competitive international women's baseball game on May 1 in the Seibu Dome
against a nationally selected Team Energen squad. The Japanese team defeated the US team in front of 3,000 enthusiastic fans. Organisers were impressed at the success of the game and decided to organise an annual competition called the Women's World Series to be held in the United States or Canada in the summer of 2001. After discussions over the summer with women’s baseball program organisers within the AWBF
, Baseball Ontario, the Baseball Victoria
(Australia) and the Baseball Federation of Japan
plans were developed for the 2001 Women's World Series in Toronto
.
The Toronto Blue Jays
agreed that several games including the championship game of the 2001 Women’s World Series would be played in the Toronto SkyDome. This proved to be an irresistible venue for attracting Japanese and Australian teams to North America. Australia selected their national women's team from a tryout process woven into their women's first Australian women's national baseball championship
. The Australian Baseball Federation
selected and trained the team which entered the 2001 Women's World Series. Baseball Canada
also selected and trained a women's national team in 2001. Canada dropped out of international competitions after a disappointing fourth place finish and did not resume play until the 2004 Women's World Series in Uozu City, Japan
.
The American Women’s Baseball Federation (AWBF) with the help of the Roy Hobbs Baseball organization selected and organized the 2001 United States team through tryouts held in several areas of the country. A team ranging in ages from 15-41 represented the United States well eventually winning the inaugural 2001 Women’s World Series.
The 2002 Women's World Series was played in St. Petersburg, Florida
with Japan, Australia and the United States entering teams. In the Gold Medal game played at Tropicana Field
following a Major League Baseball
game Australia defeated Japan 7-4.
The 2003 Women’s World Series was hosted by Australia and was played August 25-30 on the Gold Coast
in Queensland
at the Australian Baseball Federation national training site, Palm Meadows Baseball Complex. Japan was to host the 2003 event originally, but the SARS virus closed that venue in June of 2003. Teams from the United States, Australia and Japan accepted. Japan won the 2003 Women’s World Series defeating Australia 4-2.
Following the 2003 Women’s World Series representatives from the three countries met to discuss whether the 2004 Women’s World Series would be rescheduled because of the newly sanctioned IBAF 2004 Women's Baseball World Cup
. The three country representatives and the IBAF agreed to reschedule the event for July 16-23, 2004 as to honour commitments to the World Cup.
Eight teams played in the 2004 Women's World Series. This enormously successful event witnessed new teams from Korea , India
, Hong Kong
and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
. In the final, Japan defeated the USA 14-4 in front of almost 10,000 spectators.
In 2005 and 2006, the World Series was a North American competition held in the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
open to any women's teams, as it was overshadowed by the now more successful and internationally recognised World Cup.
Women's baseball
Women's baseball is currently played in several countries. The strongest and most organized women's baseball leagues are in the United States, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Canada. Those countries have national governing bodies that support girls' and women's baseball programs...
teams from around the world competed before being overtaken by the Women's Baseball World Cup
Women's Baseball World Cup
The Women's Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national women's baseball teams from around the world compete. It is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation...
in . It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation
International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
.
History
Competitive international women’s baseball began when JapanJapan women's national baseball team
The Japan women's national baseball team is controlled by the Baseball Federation of Japan. It represents the nation in women's international competition. The team is a member of the Baseball Federation of Asia. They won the 2008 Women's Baseball World Cup, and are currently #1 in the IBAF World...
sent a nationally selected squad, sponsored by a sports drink company named Team Energen, to Florida to participate in the North American Women's Baseball League
North American Women's Baseball League
The North American Women's Baseball League is an amateur league based around Boston, Massachusetts. The NAWBL plays games scheduled for seven innings, using NCAA rules, including base-stealing and taking leads off bases...
’s 1999 South Florida Diamond Classic.
At the 1999 South Florida Diamond Classic showed that Team Energen they could play at the top level of women’s baseball and after a meeting between Japanese and American officials following the tournament, plans were initiated for a contest between a national women’s baseball team from the United States
United States women's national baseball team
The United States women's national baseball team is a national team of the United States and is controlled by the USA Baseball. It represents the nation in women's international competition. The team is a member of the COPABE....
and Team Energen in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
In May of 2000, a United States national women's baseball team flew to Tokyo and played the first competitive international women's baseball game on May 1 in the Seibu Dome
Seibu Dome
is the home field of the Saitama Seibu Lions professional baseball team located in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.The stadium has a roof over the field and the stands, like other indoor ballparks. However, it lacks a wall behind the stands so that natural air comes into the field. This makes it...
against a nationally selected Team Energen squad. The Japanese team defeated the US team in front of 3,000 enthusiastic fans. Organisers were impressed at the success of the game and decided to organise an annual competition called the Women's World Series to be held in the United States or Canada in the summer of 2001. After discussions over the summer with women’s baseball program organisers within the AWBF
North American Women's Baseball League
The North American Women's Baseball League is an amateur league based around Boston, Massachusetts. The NAWBL plays games scheduled for seven innings, using NCAA rules, including base-stealing and taking leads off bases...
, Baseball Ontario, the Baseball Victoria
Baseball Victoria
Baseball Victoria is the governing body of Baseball within Victoria. Baseball Victoria is governed by the Australian Baseball FederationIn 2006, the Victorian Baseball Association and the Victorian Provincial Baseball League entered into a Memorandum of Understanding...
(Australia) and the Baseball Federation of Japan
Baseball Federation of Japan
The Baseball Federation of Japan is the governing body for amateur baseball in Japan.The Federation was founded in 1949 and has been a member of the International Baseball Federation since 1972....
plans were developed for the 2001 Women's World Series in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
The Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
agreed that several games including the championship game of the 2001 Women’s World Series would be played in the Toronto SkyDome. This proved to be an irresistible venue for attracting Japanese and Australian teams to North America. Australia selected their national women's team from a tryout process woven into their women's first Australian women's national baseball championship
Australia Women's Championships (baseball)
The Australian Women's Championships is an annual event run by the Australian Baseball Federation. The Championship includes the women's Queensland Rams, Western Australia Heat, Victoria Aces, New South Wales Patriots as well as Victorian Provincial, a New South Wales Country team and Australian...
. The Australian Baseball Federation
Australian Baseball Federation
The Australian Baseball Federation is the national governing body of Baseball in Australia. Baseball is played in all the mainland states and territories, but it struggles for popularity due to the popularity of many other sports, including the comparable sport of cricket, in which Australia has...
selected and trained the team which entered the 2001 Women's World Series. Baseball Canada
Baseball Canada
Baseball Canada is the governing body for Baseball in Canada. Incorporated in 1964 as the Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball, it is made up of 10 provincial associations which represent players, coaches, and umpires across Canada...
also selected and trained a women's national team in 2001. Canada dropped out of international competitions after a disappointing fourth place finish and did not resume play until the 2004 Women's World Series in Uozu City, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The American Women’s Baseball Federation (AWBF) with the help of the Roy Hobbs Baseball organization selected and organized the 2001 United States team through tryouts held in several areas of the country. A team ranging in ages from 15-41 represented the United States well eventually winning the inaugural 2001 Women’s World Series.
The 2002 Women's World Series was played in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
with Japan, Australia and the United States entering teams. In the Gold Medal game played at Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, which has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays. It has also served as the host stadium for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned college...
following a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
game Australia defeated Japan 7-4.
The 2003 Women’s World Series was hosted by Australia and was played August 25-30 on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
at the Australian Baseball Federation national training site, Palm Meadows Baseball Complex. Japan was to host the 2003 event originally, but the SARS virus closed that venue in June of 2003. Teams from the United States, Australia and Japan accepted. Japan won the 2003 Women’s World Series defeating Australia 4-2.
Following the 2003 Women’s World Series representatives from the three countries met to discuss whether the 2004 Women’s World Series would be rescheduled because of the newly sanctioned IBAF 2004 Women's Baseball World Cup
2004 Women's Baseball World Cup
The 2004 IBAF Women's Baseball World Cup was held from July 30 to August 8, 2004 in Edmonton, Canada and won by United States. It was the first Women's Baseball World Cup and was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation....
. The three country representatives and the IBAF agreed to reschedule the event for July 16-23, 2004 as to honour commitments to the World Cup.
Eight teams played in the 2004 Women's World Series. This enormously successful event witnessed new teams from Korea , India
India women's national baseball team
The India women's national baseball team is a national team of India and is controlled by the Amateur Baseball Federation of India. It represents the nation in women's international competition. The team is a member of the Baseball Federation of Asia....
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong women's national baseball team
The Hong Kong women's national baseball team is a national team of Hong Kong. It represents the nation in women's international competition. The team is a member of the Baseball Federation of Asia....
and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
Chinese Taipei women's national baseball team
The Chinese Taipei women's national baseball team is a national team of Chinese Taipei and is controlled by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. It represents the nation in women's international competition. The team is a member of the Baseball Federation of Asia....
. In the final, Japan defeated the USA 14-4 in front of almost 10,000 spectators.
In 2005 and 2006, the World Series was a North American competition held in the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a athletic complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort. The complex includes 9 venues and hosts numerous amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year....
open to any women's teams, as it was overshadowed by the now more successful and internationally recognised World Cup.