Five years ago in girls fastpitch it was pretty much just the Amateur Softball Association of America or “ASA” when it came to girls fastpitch and the chance to win a national title.

Today, with the growth of Premier Girls Fastpitch and Triple Crown Sports as event producers, the ASA may not be only the game in town—in a very literal sense—but the volunteer, non-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, Okla. is still the U.S. governing body for USA Softball and a force to be reckoned with.

Next week the ASA will meet and discuss some code and rule changes for its events and we thought it would be a good time to shine the spotlight on the ASA to learn some things you may not know about where the ASA is today.

Did you know that…

• … this year marks a special milestone for the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball as it celebrates it’s 80 year birthday? When the first organized softball tournament occurred September 2-9, 1933 during the World’s Fair in Chicago, ASA/USA’s founding fathers Leo Fischer and Michael J. Pauley realized a universal set of rules needed to exist, thus establishing what would soon be known as the ASA.
• … prior to the founding of the ASA in 1933, softball was without a universal set of rules? When founders Fischer and Pauley laid the foundation for softball’s future by adopting a universal set of rules, they set the stage for what would become softball’s national governing body.
• … the ASA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which means that the goal isn’t to make money but to reinvest back into the organization to improve the sport from the youngest players to the National Team?

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  … As the National Governing Body of Softball, the ASA/USA Softball organization has established the ACE (Achieve, Certify, Educate) Coaching Certification Program? ACE was developed and designed to provide softball coaches of all levels – from beginning coaches to experienced veterans – an opportunity to certify as a coach with a national softball organization.

• … the ASA/USA Softball completed over 70,000 background checks this year on coaches and personnel as part of trying to ensure the safety and protection of the athletes?
• … every year ASA/USA Softball donates money to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research? Each Fall, ASA/USA conducts an online auction of pink items signed by our national teams and give the proceeds to help find a cure.
• … the ASA uses over 30,000 umpires who are registered and certified with ASA/USA each and every year?
• … ASA/USA Softball is diligent in monitoring the safety of equipment used in the sport? ASA/USA uses certified labs that specialize in the dynamics of bat and ball collisions and these labs use all of the latest ASTM Standards when performing these tests. The results in the lab help ASA/USA better understand equipment performance through experimental testing and numeric model.
• … the ASA Hall of Fame is located in Oklahoma City and houses both the ASA Hall of Fame museum as well as the ASA/USA National Office? The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, located across the parking lot from the Hall of Fame Museum, annually hosts the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS), the World Cup of Softball as well as a number of other college and youth softball events.
• … ASA/USA Softball has a national partnership with Special Olympics Softball and assist and administer National Games each year? ASA umpires volunteer their time and efforts and ASA/USA donates thousands of score books to teams across the nation to help their programs grow.
• … the ASA is the primary funding source for the USA Softball National teams programs and that there are five of them? All five programs (Junior Women, Junior Men, Women, Men, and Men’s Slow Pitch) keep the athletes wearing the Red, White and Blue in international competition.
• … the National Team program first represented USA Softball internationally at the 1965 International Softball Federation (ISF) Women’s World Championship?
• … even without being in the Olympics right now, the ASA/USA Softball continues to drive the National Team Program? USA Softball athletes regularly put on youth clinics, attend JO ASA/USA Softball National Championships and participate on the National Council. National Team coaches also promote softball through National Coaching Schools and training camps for youth coaches and athletes.
• … the ASA/USA organization isn’t just fastpitch? ASA/USA offers recreational, league, tournament and National Championship play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch and annually conducts over 100 National Championships.

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Next week the 82nd Annual ASA Council Meeting will be held… here are some of the more interesting code and rule change proposals:

 

Code Change Proposals:

*** Effective January 1, 2014, unless specified otherwise.
Establish an annual registration from September 1 thru August 31. If changed then all JO Registrations received by August 31 will determine berths for Nationals.
(This would change ASA’s registration season from the current Jan 1-Dec 31 to Sept 1-Aug 31.)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Junior Olympic Classification. Once a player participates in an intercollegiate softball program for a university, college or junior/community college, she is ineligible to play in the Junior Olympic program.
(This would prevent girls who have played in college but are still age eligible from playing in any ASA Youth National Championships)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Once a player participates in an intercollegiate softball program for a university, college or junior/community college, she is eligible to play in the Junior Olympic program. Each JO team is limited to three (3) total university, college or junior/community college players on their roster. College players cannot be a pick-up player, they must appear on the original roster.
(This would mean that JO teams would be limited to 3 college players per roster in ASA Championship play. The college players would still be age eligible for the event they’re playing in.)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Delete Junior Olympic Classification which limits college participation to Class A and Class B
(This would allow college players to play in all ASA JO programs as long as they are age eligible.)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Add a 16-Under GOLD Division
(This would add a new classification of play for ASA Softball)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Amend the divisions of Girls’ Championship Play: 18 GOLD, 18 Class A, 17 Class A, 16 Class A, 15 Class A, 14 Class A, 13 Class A, 12 Class A, 11 Class A 10 Class A
(This would increase the number of divisions in JO girls FP)

*** Effective January 1, 2014
Local association berths may be open to all ASA registered teams from any association if the host state/metro commissioner chooses. Teams from outside the local association MUST have a National Championship Entry Form and Championship Roster signed by their State/Metro Commissioner or designee in order to participate.
(This would allow teams to travel outside of their region or territory in order to qualify for ASA National Championships if the commissioner of the association hosting that qualifier chooses to accept them for the event.)

 

Rule Change Proposal

*** For National Championships, the one undefeated team in the championship game shall be awarded home team. In the “if” game, the team coming out of the loser’s bracket shall be awarded home team.
(Intent: To reward the only undefeated team in the Championship)