Umpire trainer Duncan McLean and I visited Malta over the weekend of February 6-7 at the request of the Malta Baseball and Softball Association and on behalf of the ESF.

We were there to run a clinic on the basic differences between slowpitch softball and fastpitch softball and baseball.

Malta is fairly new to slowpitch, having introduced it two years ago to reverse the decline in player numbers from fastpitch. This, it seems, has been a success and more and more players are getting involved.

From the attendance we saw on both days of our visit, there is great enthusiasm for slowpitch. Interestingly, the vast majority of players were women, something we never see in Britain. Some of these were fastpitch players, but more were brand new players who have had their first taste of the game in 2009.

Thanks to the work of Malta’s coaches, they all had basic fielding abilities and a grasp of the game. However, no one was 100% clear on the rules or the way the game is played.

Rules and Strategy

Duncan’s and my job was to clarify the rules and strategic differences between slowpitch and fastpitch and help equip the coaches with the knowledge and practical skills to continue teaching the game to their players.

We started with a classroom session for 15 people on the Saturday afternoon, where Duncan presented a series of slides on umpiring and the basic rules. I followed with a talk on pitching and offensive and defensive strategies. Afterwards, there were plenty of questions and the Malta Baseball and Softball Association then had a meeting to discuss the season ahead.

On Sunday morning, the heavens opened and we took cover indoors for the practical coaching. This wasn’t a bad thing, as apparently the quality of the fields is something to behold!

There were 11 players (of which 10 were women) and five coaches/managers/umpires in attendance.

A fair amount of time was spent on slowpitch pitching and hitting drills, getting the players and umpires used to the trajectory of the pitched ball and showing the coaches how their players might practise these skills.

This was followed by slowpitch-specific fielding scenarios and plays that occur due to the co-ed nature of the game.

Looking Forward

By the end, everyone was suitably tired but fired up to push on with developing the game in Malta -- so much so that some teams have agreed to share their glut of women players with baseball to form a fifth slowpitch league team for 2010.

There are also plans to send a Malta team to a tournament in the UK this year and ESF Development Commissioner for Slowpitch Bob Fromer has already sent a list of tournaments that might be suitable.

All in all, the weekend was a great success. Both Duncan and I were impressed by the dedication shown by Mario Debono (President of the Malta Baseball and Softball Association) and everyone else involved, including all the players and coaches, to ensure that softball survives and flourishes in Malta.

I believe that with further input from the ESF on coaching, field improvements and equipment, Maltese softball can go from strength to strength.

On behalf of myself and Duncan, I’d like to thank Mario Debono, Patrick Pace, Robert Mifsud, Giancarlo Tolu, Keith Bartolo and all the players for making us so welcome.