UFH’s student-run softball tournament an out-the-park success

Fort Hare hit a huge home run for softball development in the province when it hosted a coaching clinic for scorers and umpires as well as its own tournament recently.

The two-day event was organised by the university’s own players, whom the university encourages to learn organisational and managerial skills as part of its softball programme.

Players and officials from clubs in East London, Mthatha and Bizana joined those from UFH in Alice on August 9 and 10.

“The students in our softball programme are given opportunities to manage different things and work through an executive structure,” explained Fort Hare head coach Nolwazi Mabindisa.

“This year they decided they wanted to host their own tournament. We helped them and answered any questions they had but mostly everything was done by them.”

Fort Hare has identified that while there is great passion for the game in the Eastern Cape, there are not enough officials. By hosting the clinic, the academic institution hopes more umpires and scorers can come through the ranks to help grow the sport in the region.

Mabindisa, her assistants and players are dreaming big in this regard.

“Softball will be a sport at the 2028 Olympics. We want our officials to be part of that.

“Once officials are certified at Level 3, it enables them to officiate outside the country.”

She said the inaugural UFH Softball Tournament, played on the second day, could not have gone any better.

Fort Hare fielded two men’s teams, one each from the Alice (UFH Titans) and East London (UFH Bandits) campuses. Alice and East London played as a combined side in the women’s section.

The other clubs involved in the tournament were WSU (East London and Butterworth), All Stars from Mthatha and Nine Stars from Bizana.

If every visiting opponent was made to feel welcome off the field, that was certainly not the case on it.

UFH’s ladies did not take their foot off the gas in seeing off both WSU campuses to take the trophy on home turf.

The UFH Bandits almost made it a double for the home university but unfortunately, the men could not get past Bizana’s best in the final game, handing Nine Stars the title.

Though that result might not have gone Fort Hare’s way, Mabindisa was not disappointed given how well the event had been received. 

“We now want to do this every year,” she said.

“It would be so wonderful to see a player from Bizana in the rural Eastern Cape playing for the Proteas, not only those from the bigger provinces and cities. And this is what we want to achieve by hosting events like these.”

She thanked sports manager Loyiso Lange and his department for giving the clinic and tournament the green light.

“He told us it will create a legacy not just for ourselves but for the university.”