USA Softball and United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) - a WBSC member and associated member respectively - has presented Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF), a new professional softball league, slated to begin in June next year. WPF, co-founded by USA Softball, USSSA and Smash It Sports, aims to provide a long-lasting and viable option for softball players post-collegiate play, with the ultimate goal of making the professional dream a real possibility for young girls around the world.
Lauren Chamberlain, a former professional softball player and WBSC Junior Women’s Softball World Championship winner in 2011, has been named Commissioner of the league.
“I am deeply humbled and incredibly excited for my role as Commissioner of WPF," Chamberlain said. "I have worked hard to build good standing with existing softball athletes, people of influence in our sport, and those outside of our sport. I am confident that I can bridge the gap between all parties and create an exceptional professional level of softball, one that our sport and its athletes deserve".
"We are very excited about the launch of WPF," said Craig Cress, USA Softball CEO. "We are looking forward to encouraging athletes to compete both professionally and internationally, and provide women more opportunities to continue their playing careers after college”.
“The opportunity to venture back into a women’s professional league has been at the forefront of our mission within USSSA, and more specifically the USSSA Pride," said Donny DeDonatis III, CEO of USSSA. "We are both ecstatic and humbled to be a major role player in WPF's development and creation".
The inaugural season will run from June 15, 2022 through to August 15, 2022 with the aim to give professional women's softballers more opportunities to play.
WPF will be headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with teams playing nationwide. The league is aiming for six to eight teams for its inaugural season.
