Softball Foundation New Zealand

04/06/2026

The College Softball World Series is on its way to an epic conclusion, showcasing incredible athletes from all over the world. These women have managed to combine top-level softball with education, many of them on scholarship, and it all started with a softball and a dream.

A number of Kiwis have taken the leap and travelled to the USA to play college softball, including some of our grant recipients. The journey from here to there is tough, requiring a lot of commitment and sacrifice, but it can be incredibly rewarding, opening up a world of opportunities both on the diamond and off.

Our Foundation aims to help players with potential stay in the game, covering costs for necessities that can keep them on the diamond and able to chase dreams like these.

If you would like to find out more, visit our website https://www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz/

06/05/2026

The reason we exist!

The Softball Foundation New Zealand Trust came into being thanks to the generosity and vision of Lyndsey Leask QSM, who bequeathed the female game a legacy from her estate to establish the Foundation.

Lyndsey was a dedicated and fully involved trailblazer for women in our sport. She was a player, coach and administrator for Canterbury and part of the NZ Women’s Team from 1973-1982 changing the role of chaperone to manager. She managed the World Champion Gold Medal team in 1982, the team to later be inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame. In 1993 she became NZ Softball’s first female President alongside her 25 years of service as a New Zealand Softball Councillor. Not content with national service, Lyndsey also served on the International Softball Federation and was appointed to the Technical Committee for the first Olympic Games for softball in USA in 1996 and officiated with the first pitch ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Lyndsey was a SNZ and ISF Hall of Fame inductee and received an acknowledgement for outstanding service from the WBSC (posthumously).

Inspired by her actions, more members of our community have stepped up to donate, allowing us to grant thousands of dollars to nurture and develop young female softball players throughout the country. The bigger our community of donors, the more young women we can support.

If you would like to learn more about how you can donate, about the Foundation itself, or about the amazing Lyndsey, go to our website at https://www.sporty.co.nz/nzsoftballtrust/home-2

11/04/2026

It is the time of year when generous Kiwis are returned a third of their charitable donations in the form of a tax refund. That money has already made a difference, but if you want to double down and make it count twice over, you can send it our way and we will use it to keep young women in financial hardship on the softball diamond 🫶

https://www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz/donate/how-to-donate

25/03/2026

As the sun sets on another summer of softball, we would like to thank our community of donors. Every contribution, big or small, has helped to keep a young player on the diamond.

Donations as little as $5 a week go a long way, adding up to cover club fees, gloves, cleats and more.

If you would like to know more, visit us at https://www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz/

18/02/2026

The National Fastpitch Championship starts tomorrow in Christchurch, a showcase for the elite women playing our sport, and something for our younger female athletes to aspire towards.

Getting to this stage takes dedication and commitment, but also money. Money for gear, for tournaments, for fees, it all adds up.

If you want to be part of the community helping to fund and support young female players trying to do what it takes to make the next level, then please click over to our website to find out more - https://www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz/

03/02/2026

Hundreds of young female softballers have hit the diamond in January to represent their province, gaining invaluable experience both on and off the diamond.

Unfortunately, the costs involved in doing this meant some worthy players could not afford to do so.

The Softball NZ Trust approves grants every year to try and reduce the number of players that miss out due to financial constraints. If you would like to join us in keeping these young women on the diamond, please visit https://www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz/ and learn more about us and how to donate.

Photo credit U17 Girls Championship

14/01/2026

Keep an eye out for us at the SNZ U17 Girls Nationals in Palmerston North this week, fee free to come have a chat to learn more about us and what we do!

08/01/2026

Our trustee Rebecca Bromhead is at the NZ U19 Women’s Softball Nationals in Papakura today, make sure to pop over and say hello if you would like to know more about who we are and what we do 🙏

11/12/2025

As we head into the giving season, we are pleased to announce we were able to support nineteen young female softballers in our most recent funding round. These grants will help in a number of different ways, and help keep these girls excelling on the diamond. We could not do this without the support of our community of donors - you are making a difference!

As the Junior Representative season heats up, there are even more ways you can help, with many players needing financial support and running fundraisers. If you are in a position to do so, please reach out and support young athletes - every little bit counts, and what is little for you can be big for someone else.

18/11/2025

Reminder - Round 5 applications are closing this Friday 21st November.

GRANT FUNDING ROUND 5 IS NOW OPEN

The Trustees of the Softball Foundation NZ Trust announce that applications for our next round of grants will open from 20th October 2025 and close on 21st November 2025.

We are inviting applications for financial support from young female softballer's who are experiencing some form of financial hardship that could prevent them from playing or taking advantage of higher honours. The purpose of the grant is to ensure, through the support of individual athletes, that there will be broader benefits to the sport.

All applications must meet the purpose of the Trust set out in the Grant Policy Document which can be found at www.softballfoundationnz.org.nz. It is preferable applicants are between 13 and 25 years of age.

To be successful, we need your help! You will know female athletes who would benefit from this type of financial assistance AND will be willing to give back to the sport in the future, for future generations – this is a key criterion for the grant.

Please forward this email to those players directly or to coaches, managers or whanau members who know of players who would meet the application criteria.

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected]