Canada Cup Returns with largest women’s fastpitch event in Canadian history
The biggest and best international fastpitch tournament in Canada is set to return in 2023! The acclaimed Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship will run from July 7th-16th at Softball City, Surrey. The 2023 event will be the largest in the tournament and Canadian history with more than 1500 elite athletes already confirmed to compete, including the Canadian National team.“There is no greater honour than the ability to represent your country in front of a home crowd,” says Team Canada Coach Kaleigh Rafter. “The Canada Cup has always provided us with the ability to compete against the best players in the world, while sharing our passion for the game with our fellow Canadians. It has been instrumental in elevating and growing the game of softball across the country.”British Columbian fans will a number of local standouts to cheer on including the all-star pitcher from Surrey Sara Groenewegen, Victoria’s Emma Entzminger, and Larissa Franklin from Maple Ridge. All three were part of the Bronze medal winning Canadian Olympic team in Tokyo, 2020 and Silver medalists in the 2019 Pan American Games.The tournament, now in its 30th year showcases some of the top female athletes from all-across Canada and the world as well as more than 1,500 athletes at the national and club level. The event includes five divisions: Women’s International, Futures Select (U19), Futures Gold (U19), Showcase Select (16U) and Showcase Gold (16U).For the first time, the Canada Cup will serve as a qualifier event for the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series. The winners from the Gold Divisions will earn a direct berth into the championships in August 2023.“Without a doubt we will see the very best of the best at this year’s event,” says Canada Cup Chair Greg Timm. “From the top national teams to the elite club teams, we anticipate an incredibly strong tournament across all divisions. Additionally, we are thrilled to have our Gold Division teams competing for a spot in the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series. It will create our most competitive event ever!”Work is now underway on the tournament schedule, with details to be released in the coming months. For more information, please visit: www.CanadaCup.com
