Softball Australia can confirm that Ipswich Softball Association in Queensland will host the inaugural Over-35s National Championship on June 26-29 this year.

The confirmation comes after two years of uncertainty because of COVID, which postponed the event on multiple occasions.

Softball Australia CEO Rosie Williams said, “I am delighted we have finally been able to set a date for the Over-35s National Championship for so many reasons. Firstly, it gives people in the Over-35 age group the chance to play representative softball. We tend to focus our underage and Open championships, but the opportunity to play competitive softball should be open to everyone.

“But more importantly, it will hopefully give the Queensland softball community something to look forward to after a disastrous start to the year because of the floods. An event like this can give us all something to come together over and work towards.”

Taken alongside the other National Championships, staging the event in Queensland also means there will be major events in all but three states and territories in 2022.

Ipswich is a world-class facility with international standard lighting, and it is hoped more than 400 players and their families will descend on Queensland for the four-day event.

Queensland Softball CEO Ross Symonds said, “It’s taken some time to get to this point, but we are proud to host this event and look forward to showing off the Ipswich facility. I’d like to thank all those involved for their hard work, including everyone at Ipswich Softball Association.”

As there will be fewer underage participants attending the event, planning for the Over-35 National Championship took place separately from the underage and open events, as it required a different set of COVID and logistic considerations.

More event-specific information including COVID protocols will be available in the coming weeks.