UBC Softball Moves to Surrey
VANCOUVER – Starting this fall, the University of British Columbia's women's softball program will play their home games at Surrey's internationally recognized Softball City facility. Team and facility officials confirmed their plans to collaborate in association with a meeting at Surrey City Hall between UBC President Arvind Gupta and Mayor Linda Hepner.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced last week that the UBC's women's softball team has been accepted into the Conference as an Associate Member and will begin play in the 2015-16 Season.
Click here for more on this announcement. The CCC includes top university and college teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.
"One of the benefits of moving to this new Conference is we will have the opportunity to play more home games. At Softball City, our team will have access to one of the best facilities in North America – if not the world," said UBC head coach
Gord Collings.
Surrey will host the 2016 International Softball Federation Women's World Fastpitch Championships at Softball City from
July 15 to 24. The event will feature the sport's best athletes from over 30 countries and provide approximately 400 volunteer opportunities.
In addition to playing 14 CCC league home games each season in Surrey starting in March 2016, UBC players and coaches will support community plans to host the world championship and provide instructional clinics for local female softball players.
In May, UBC confirmed the women's softball program will retain its varsity status while the university works with donors and supporters on a long-term funding arrangement that achieves the goals and objectives outlined in the university's recent sports review.
Preparations and recruiting are underway for next season which is expected to start the second week of September with tryouts and fall training.