A GB Under-17 Women’s Fastpitch Team, an age group put together specifically to compete in the Under-17 Gold Division in the prestigious Canada 
Cup, will set off for Vancouver on Saturday 8 July, where they will play a range of US and Canadian travel balls teams from 10-16 July.
The tour, led by GB Under-15 Women’s Team Head Coach Jodie Rushin, has been arranged because the GB Under-15s do not have an official European competition this summer, but there was a need to regain momentum in the programme. The team will consist of players from both the U-15 and U-18 Women’s Team programmes, and will compete in the Canada Cup Under-17 Gold Showcase Division.
The Canada Cup is an annual event held at Softball City in Surrey, British Columbia, between Vancouver and the Canadian-US border, and the International Division usually attracts some of the world’s top national teams.
The GB Women’s Team programme has sent Senior or Under-19 Teams to the tournament in 2002, 2011 and 2012, and would have liked to attend more often, but the Canada Cup often clashes with European Championships. In 2012, the GB Senior Women’s Team finished with a silver medal in the Elite Division.
Although most of the teams in this year’s Under-17 Gold Showcase Division are club teams, the tournament will also feature the Australian and Mexican Under-17 teams.
Schedule
The bulk of the GB Under-17 players and staff will fly from the UK on Saturday 8 July and return on 18 July, and the team will immediately swing into action once they get to Canada.
On Sunday, 9 July, the team will train in the morning, then play an exhibition game at 5.00 pm Canadian Pacific time against local team Cloverdale Fury 07 Gold.
The tournament proper will start on Monday 10 July, when the GB Team will play the TriCity Titans Under-17s in an evening game at 8.30 pm.
On Tuesday 11 July, the GB Team will play a doubleheader, taking on the Red Deer Rage Under-17 at 1.00 pm and the Kelowna Heat Under-17 Gold at 8.30 pm.
On Wednesday 12 July, GB will play just once, against the Bandits-Ruess/Sperry at 6.30 pm, and will finish the round-robin phase of the tournament on Thursday 13 July with two more games, taking on Fraser Valley Fusion 06 at 10.30 am the St Albert Angels Under-17 Blue at 3.30 pm.
GB Under-17 games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will depend on where they finish in their round-robin group.
Players and staff
The players selected for this exciting opportunity to play in the Canada Cup are:
Emma Biles
Abigail Chan
Lily Daniels
Becky Davies
Isla Dodson-Richi
Clara Fontana
Amber Frost
Lydia Garrett
Kailyn Haig
Amy Hartle
Camryn Hogg
Anna Kingston
Rebecca Longman
Nia Phillips
Megan Rollins
Catherine Young
The staff that will travel with the team is:
Head Coach: Jodie Rushin
Team Operations Manager: Sarah Rushin
Assistant Coaches: Dani Briggs, Jasmine Rushin and Shannon Plese
Sports Therapist: Natasha Furnell
Jodie Rushin said, “As the Head Coach, I envision this tour facilitating player development and growth. It's an opportunity for Great Britain to showcase and represent the talented youth section of our programme. Ultimately, our goal is to support these players and ensure they have a memorable week, fostering lasting memories and friendship.”
