Haarlem, Netherlands – The International Softball Federation, the softball division of the World Baseball Softball Confederation, has announced that all 67 games of the 14th Women's Softball World Championship will be webstreamed.
The pinnacle Women's Softball Championship, featuring the top 16 national teams from around the world, begins Friday 15 August in Haarlem and will continue through August 24.
The ten-day tournament will include national teams from Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia and the USA.
Japan is the defending champion, having defeated the United States 2-1 in extra innings in the final in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada in 2012.
The first game for the GB Women's Team at the tournament will be on Friday 15 August against Botswana at 2.00 pm Dutch time (1.00 pm in the UK). On Saturday 16 August, GB will play the Dominican Republic at 5.30 pm in Holland (4.30 in the UK). The full tournament schedule is available on: www.wcsoftball2014.com.
Coverage
Coverage of the tournament will be available globally through live webstreaming as well as archived (on demand) on a subscription basis via www.ISFsoftball.org.
To follow the tournament, visit www.ISFsoftball.org or the official event website at www.wcsoftball2014.com.
In addition to the live streaming, the Bronze and Gold medal games on 24 August will be carried on major television networks. Agreements have been reached with multiple broadcasters that will provide coverage in Japan and the USA to approximately 185 million homes. TV Tokyo has also secured the exclusive rights for Japan to its 32 million households.
Comments
ISF President and WBSC Executive Vice President Dale McMann said: "We are very pleased to showcase the 14th Women's World Championship to the entire global audience. The ability for the international community to access the highest level of women's softball will only enhance our capacity to drive spectator interest and the growing consumer demand of our sport."
WBSC Secretary General Low Beng Choo commented, "This broadcast agreement helps to highlight the power and potential of softball as a promoter of women's sport, helping shape a sporting world that is more balanced and relevant to women."