The Great Britain Senior Women’s National Fastpitch Team and the Oklahoma City Spark are excited to announce the second annual Royal Spark Challenge, to be played on 27-28 June at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The first Royal Spark Challenge took place in 2023, with the Spark visiting the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park in Farnham Royal, England for the inaugural two-game series. The Challenge marked the first time a professional softball team had ever played in the United Kingdom, and it was invaluable in helping the GB Women’s Team prepare for the WBSC World Cup Group Stage tournament the following week in Ireland.
More than 800 fans attended the two games at Farnham Park, with another 5,000 watching the matchups on BSUK-TV. While GB’s Kendyl Scott tallied the first run of the Challenge on a solo home run, it was the Spark who would take home the winged trophy, sweeping both games of the set.
The Royal Spark Challenge serves an important purpose for the Great Britain National Team, providing the players with the opportunity to prepare for major competitions by playing against some of the world’s best professionals. This year’s Challenge marks both the start of the OKC Spark season as well as the beginning of training for Great Britain, who will play in the 2024 European Softball Championship in Utrecht this September. Selections for the Great Britain Women’s Team will take place in June in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the campus of Oklahoma State University, with further details to be announced.
Great Britain Softball Head of Performance Gary Anderson said, “As our journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games continues, the opportunity to play against quality competition becomes vitally important, especially with a group of young athletes. This partnership with Spark allows our players to face the best possible competition, in a high-performance, professional environment. The Spark have been fantastic partners, and this is a fantastic opportunity for the Great Britain Senior Team to test itself before this year’s U-18 World Cup, U-22 European Championships, and Senior European Softball Championships.”
Great Britain Women’s Senior Head Coach Tara Henry added, “Last year’s Royal Spark Challenge was the perfect tune-up before the WBSC Women’s World Cup, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to play the Spark again this year. In order to continue to develop, we must prepare against the highest level of talent, and the Spark have proven themselves to be just that. We can’t wait until this year’s Royal Spark Challenge!”
The Great Britain Senior Women’s National Fastpitch Team, the British Softball Federation, and BaseballSoftballUK would like to thank the OKC Spark staff and team for hosting this year’s Royal Spark Challenge, and for being fantastic partners over the past two years.
Further information for the Royal Spark Challenge, including ticket details, will be announced on the OKC Spark website: okcspark.com.
Follow the Great Britain Women’s Team on social media @GBWomenSoftball on X, Instagram, and TikTok, at facebook.com/GBWomenSoftball, and on the British Softball Federation website, britishsoftball.org.