On Saturday, 23 September, BaseballSoftballUK, in partnership with Pride Sports, RBI Wales and the Cardiff Softball League, hosted the first-ever LGBTQ+ Slowpitch Softball tournament in Cardiff. The event is the third of the 2023 LGBTQ+ Softball Series, with the final event in Liverpool on 7 October. 

The LGBTQ+ Tournament Series celebrates our LGBTQ+ playing population, ensuring that the community knows there’s a sport that will welcome them with open arms, and to visibly celebrate the diversity and inclusion of softball. These tournaments are also an opportunity for LGBTQ+ friends, families, and allies to play the sport they love - usually decked out in all the colours of the rainbow!

With the help of RBI Wales, the Cardiff Softball League and plenty of snacks donated by Kellogg’s UK & Ireland, BaseballSoftballUK set up the Cardiff Merlins Baseball Club field to welcome teams from London, Bristol, Swindon and Cardiff.

Under the beautiful Welsh sunshine, the teams played in great spirit all day, culminating with a nail-biting final between Bristol Bam and Swindon Hawks that saw Bristol squeak out a victory to take home to top prize.

BaseballSoftballUK Development Manager Luis Arrevillagas was thrilled with the turnout in Cardiff, commenting, "It’s always great when a plan comes together! Last year, we set out to bring one of our LGBTQ+ tournaments to the capital of Wales and to see it come to fruition is very satisfying. So much fun was had, especially by the Swindon Hawks, who showed great improvement with every game. With Liverpool still to come, I'm excited that we are able to celebrate the community all across the UK, and next year will be even bigger!"

If your club or league wants to learn more about hosting an LGBTQ+ tournament - either as part of the 2024 BaseballSoftballUK LGBTQ+ Series or as a standalone event - please get in touch with Luis Arrevillagas here.