A unique relationship has provided Baseball Queensland with the opportunity to host the largest baseball tournament in the country over the past weekend with 48 teams converging on Redcliffe Padres Baseball Club and Redcliffe Leagues Softball Association’s facilities for the Queensland Little League Pathway State Titles. This event was played across 13 fields with teams from Teeball right through Senior League (League age 16) making the most of the superbly manicured fields and a broad selection of food options available from the well-oiled machine, that was the canteen.

This opportunity to bring the baseball community together in one place was only made possible by access to the Softball facilities adjacent to the Baseball club. The ongoing relationship between the two diamond sport clubs has allowed each the opportunity to leverage the facilities of the other to deliver key events for their respective sports. The collaboration demonstrated by these two organisations demonstrates the advantages and strength of building a collaborative relationship with aligned community groups and partners. On behalf of the Baseball community, I want to express sincere thanks to both the Redcliffe Padres Baseball Club and the Redcliffe Leagues Softball Association,  their volunteers and committees for all their work in hosting such a successful event.

Events such as these State Titles would not be possible without the support of the Queensland Government and the Moreton Bay Regional Council who support these events and continue to make it possible for Baseball Queensland to improve the delivery of these events. Moreton Bay Regional Council being integral to securing the event for the Region.

Thanks must also go to the officials for the event; firstly for undertaking the training requisite to officiate at this level, but also for giving up their time to Umpire and Score games throughout the event. Your support is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks to Barry Foat and Mark Bramwell, who coordinated and mentored the Umpire group over the course of the event. Thanks also to Michelle Welch for coordinating the Scoring efforts for the weekend and assisting other Scorers in need of advice.

While I hope the parents, spectators, participants and coaches enjoyed the experience immensely, I would also like to thank everyone involved for their exemplary behaviour over the course of the event. There is so much to play for at these events and sometimes the excitement of the moment can see grown adults get carried away with emotion. While there was lots of excitement throughout the event, the games were played in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

On behalf of Baseball Queensland, thank you to everyone involved.