On This Day: The First Public Softball Game in New Zealand

On This Day: The First Public Softball Game in New Zealand

October 2, 1937 — Wellington, New Zealand

Long before the Black Sox became one of the most recognizable and successful programs in international men’s fastpitch, the story of organized softball in New Zealand was still in its infancy.

On October 2, 1937, two teams of workers from the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Seaview, near Petone, took the field at Wellington’s Winter Show Grounds for an exhibition game. Played as a curtain-raiser to a rugby league fixture, the contest was promoted by Bill “Pop” Wilson as “the first public game of softball played in New Zealand.” Softball New Zealand

A Canadian Connection 🇨🇦

There’s a pretty cool Canadian connection to the story.

Bill “Pop” Wilson was a Canadian production manager working at Ford’s New Zealand assembly plant. Wilson introduced softball to the workers, organized games during their lunch breaks and even imported softball equipment from Canada. Softball New Zealand

Just over a week before the historic exhibition, on September 24, Wilson spoke at a meeting organized by Wellington rugby league clubs about establishing softball teams. Then came the October 2 public exhibition. Softball New Zealand

And things moved quickly from there.

Later that October, a meeting at rugby league official Charles Bristow’s joinery shop helped launch a Wellington competition and ultimately the Wellington Baseball (Softball) Association. Sixteen men's teams entered Wellington's first association competition, and by January 1938 that number had already doubled to 32. Softball New Zealand

From Humble Beginnings to a Softball Powerhouse

It's important to note that October 2, 1937 wasn't literally the first time softball had been played in New Zealand. Softball New Zealand traces organized games at Blackball on the West Coast back to 1932, while women's softball activity was also underway before the Wellington exhibition. The significance of October 2 is that Wilson promoted the Wellington game as the country's first public softball game. Softball New Zealand

That distinction makes the date a fascinating milestone.

From those early games, softball exploded across New Zealand. A national governing organization was established in 1938, the country's first national men's tournament followed in 1939, and New Zealand eventually developed into a major force on the international stage. Softball New Zealand

What began with a couple of teams of factory workers playing in Wellington helped form part of the foundation for generations of Kiwi softball players who would follow.

89 years later, October 2 remains a pretty special date in New Zealand softball history.

🥎 On This Day — October 2, 1937
🇳🇿 The first public softball game in New Zealand

Connecting the Softball World — Outside The Chute

Source: Softball New Zealand — History of Softball in New Zealand