It seems incredible, and more than a little sad, but there has been no softball of note in Rotorua in almost seven years.
How that was ever allowed to be the case, in the days of the Rotorua Softball Association, is another story. This one is about the return ofa sport that has traditionally been at the heart of a large part of the Rotorua community.
Matches, starting today due to a clash in field bookings on Saturday, are to be held at Puketawhero Field, where teeball and junior matches will generally be played on Saturdays from 9am ahead of senior men's and women's matches in the afternoon.
Owhata United Softball Club spokeswoman Pam Tipu said there was a strong community of softball people who were dedicated to rebuilding the sport in the city.
So far Central Bay Softball had attracted enough players for four teeball, two junior, three men's and five women's teams, with Tipu planning to reintroduce the game to schools so another generation of kids can grow up playing the game.
"I'm really excited actually. It's like being a little kid again with your favourite sport coming back into town," Tipu said.
"Softball was everything to us, even though we didn't go anywhere with it. We thought we were the White Sox back then. Softball is my heart - it's always been my heart."
She said a great number of the identities who defined the sport at a local level had either passed or moved away since the league was last run in 2008, but added there were still a number of experienced players and administrators involved.
