Softball nationwide workforce vet Victoria Hayward says sport is headed down proper path, with professional and collegiate progress

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Canadian nationwide workforce outfield stalwart Victoria Hayward understands in addition to anybody the expansion that’s attainable in ladies’s softball.

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The 31-year-old is taking this summer time off from enjoying for the nationwide aspect, however says the “door remains to be open,” a few return down the road. She is at Softball Metropolis this week to look at this nation’s high workforce participate within the Canada Cup match. The motion within the varied divisions runs by means of Sunday.

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Hayward is slated to play in Athletes Limitless, the four-team league primarily based in Rosemont, Ailing., that can begin its fourth season July 28 and as soon as once more has an in depth take care of ESPN. They play a five-week marketing campaign, the groups are redrafted each week and so they’ve developed their very own scoring system — enjoying off fantasy sports activities — that sees the gamers accumulate particular person factors on each play within the midst of attempting to assist their workforce win on the day. There’s a person leaderboard with wage bonuses tied to it on the finish of the season.

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Hayward additionally signed on this summer time as an assistant coach for the upcoming season at College of Washington — her alma mater — after a two-year stint on the San Diego State employees. Girls’s softball is flourishing on the NCAA stage, highlighted by final month Girls’s School World Collection title sport between Oklahoma and Florida State averaging 1.9 million viewers on ESPN, with a peak viewers of two.3 million.

“I be ok with how issues are trending,” mentioned Hayward, who was born in Toronto and grew up Mountain View, Calif.

“The expansion of the school sport is big within the U.S. I’m excited concerning the alternatives within the skilled leagues, whether or not it’s the WPF (the four-team Girls’s Skilled Fastpitch loop within the U.S. ) or Athletes Limitless. It’s superior.

“The extra folks we proceed to have enjoying softball, the higher the game is.”

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Hayward was the primary participant signed by Athletes Limitless and was a member of their softball participant govt committee (PEC) from 2020-22, together with being their first softball PEC chair. She acquired her grasp’s diploma in enterprise administration from UMass after ending up at Washington, so she had instruments to assist a league rise up and operating.

Athletes Limitless additionally has ladies’s basketball, volleyball and subject lacrosse leagues.

“Making an attempt to construct one thing new is tough, it doesn’t matter what it’s,” mentioned Hayward. “But it surely was a extremely rewarding expertise.”

Hayward debuted with Group Canada in 2009 as a 16-year-old and was a part of the workforce that captured the bronze medal on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Video games. Seven of the 15 gamers from that squad are enjoying with this workforce at Canada Cup, and Hayward pegs the newcomers as “an excellent younger group.”

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“I’m excited for them to get expertise. There’s nothing that may substitute for expertise,” she continued “For them having a possibility to be right here is superior. They’re younger however they’ve actually, actually nice mentors with the teaching employees and the older gamers.”

Precept amongst these mentors is head coach Kaleigh Rafter, 36, the longtime nationwide workforce catcher who retired from enjoying to take over the bench boss spot after Tokyo.

“She brings unbelievable information. She’s one of many smartest folks I’ve ever performed with,” Hayward mentioned. “She has unbelievable love for the sport. And he or she’s additionally an extremely laborious employee.”

Softball was dropped from the full-time Olympic schedule after Beijing 2008. It was reinstated for Tokyo 2020 as a part of organizers now being permitted so as to add a restricted variety of sports activities well-liked of their area. It didn’t make the added checklist for Paris 2024, however the hope is that it’ll for Los Angeles 2028. No phrase on when the Los Angeles additions will likely be introduced.

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Requested about what it’s going to take to get it added full-time once more, Hayward talked about “persevering with to develop the worldwide presence.”

That restricted attraction in sure areas is often thought of the explanation why softball was dropped, though Olympic officers have by no means detailed precisely why.

Twitter: @SteveEwen

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