NZ awaits decision on softball worlds venue

All softball chief Dane Dougan wants for Christmas is a women's world championships venue for the New Zealand White Sox.

The Softball New Zealand general manager hopes an announcement will be made by the International Softball Federation (ISF) this week.

The 2010 world championships were due to be held in Oklahoma City from July 16-26. But the ISF announced last month that the tournament would have to be pushed back to a later date at a new location because three nations were committed to the Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico.

The Amateur Softball Association, the sport's governing body in the United States, was unable to host a later tournament in Oklahoma because the facilities there are already fully booked.

Dougan said yesterday ISF president Don Porter had indicated in an email last week that the ISF were "exploring several possibilities" and hoped to confirm a new venue "by the middle of [this] week".

Softball New Zealand had written to the ISF "expressing our concern" and had been working with Softball Australia to get a quick resolution.

"As soon as we know, we will have to start planning quickly," Dougan said.

He said plans had been in place for Oklahoma, and White Sox manager Lyn Lockhart had visited the ballpark there.

Dougan said New Zealand would still prefer to see the tournament in the United States to keep costs down.

"We're hopeful there will be a decision by Christmas. It's been a bit tough."

Meanwhile, White Sox head coach Dean Rice is expected today to confirm his squad for the third round of the Gilley's Shield Australian state championships and the test series against the Australian Spirit in Brisbane next month.

- © Fairfax NZ News