Surrey awarded 2024 Men’s World Fastball Tournament
The International Softball Congress (ISC) announced its selection of the host city for the 2024 Men’s World Fastball Tournament following a highly competitive international bidding process. The winning bid was awarded to the Canadian Amateur Sport Society to be hosted at Softball City in Surrey, British Columbia.The 50+ team tournament will take place August 10 to 17, 2024 and is expected to draw 1000 athletes, coaches, trainers and fans to the eight-day event.
“We’re excited about returning to the west coast and to British Columbia in 2024,” said ISC Executive Director Larry Fisher. “It’s been since 1997 that we visited BC and we’re looking forward to bringing the World Tournament to Softball City. The fans in BC are great fastpitch fans and they know the ISC teams and players will put on a great show.”“This is a tremendous honour for our Organizing Committee, and we are thrilled to host this prestigious event,” says Committee Chair Greg Timm. “Winning this bid is recognition of the significant legacy of premier national and international tournaments hosted at Softball City over the past decade.”The Championship will be one of the largest sporting events hosted in the region.“Surrey is a premier sport tourism destination in the Pacific Northwest and Canada,” says Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “We look forward to the welcoming athletes and fans to our world-class facility for this exciting event. With more than 50 teams with players from around the world expected to participate in the 2024 Men’s World Fastball Tournament, this event will have a strong economic impact for Surrey. As British Columbia’s second largest and fastest growing city, Surrey is the premier place for hosting sporting events and is the Tournament Capital of the Lower Mainland.” Men and boys fastball has a long and rich history in British Columbia. For generations the game has been celebrated in many small towns, suburban areas and in the urban cores from Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. Our First Nations communities have been amongst the world’s leaders in developing athletes and teams. The successful bid will inspire boys to play the sport, attract new coaches and organizers and demonstrate the excellence of Men’s Fastpitch to both long-time fans and new spectators alike. The successful bid will bring the sport back to Western Canadian soil for the first time in almost two decades.
Planning is now underway for the event, with the Organizing Committee beginning the important work of preparing a memorable event. Tickets are expected to go on sale in spring, 2023.
