CUW

At the time, there were only six clubs in the country that practiced softball. “Only people with money could play softball then. It was certainly a sport for the elite class ”, Clovis explains. That was true for men, but especially for women. In the first instance Lodewijks founded the CSB only with friends and family in mind. “With the establishment I wanted to make it easier for them to play softball.”
Venezuela wich is situated only 400 miles was of big influence.The association supported starting clubs and teams. It soon paid off. And not only for Clovis acquaintances. “Five years later, the country already had forty clubs. After a while, softball could even compete with football, which has always been the main sport in Curaçao. Once there were so many clubs, CSB ensured that there was a structured competition on the island. “Before that, the teams only played a few loose games on Sunday.” Lodewijks talks about the warm ties the CSB had with the Venezuelan softball world in its early years. These were the basis for the rapid growth. Every weekend, associations from Venezuela made it possible for Curaçao teams to go there for games or tournaments. “We were good friends. In Venezuela, softball was already a very well-known branch of sport when it wasn't here at all. They have also made it big here. ” It has never been easy to fund the adventures overseas needed to keep challenging the best softball players in the country. Later delegations from Curaçao also went on a sporting trip to Colombia or Panama, for example, but creativity was always required.