seniorsoftball.com
Senior Softball-USA, the world’s largest organization of senior softball players, was founded in 1988. Since then, the organization has grown by an average of 500 players each quarter. Today, Senior Softball-USA players are on 1,500 teams in every state and in Canada. Player ages are 40+ for men and women.
Sports Destination Management: SSUSA has quite a history.
Terry Hennessy: It really does. It was established so that teams could compete in qualifying tournaments in order to play in world championships. Around 1989, we started promoting international play, giving people the opportunity to play in different countries. After 9/11, international play shut down for a while so we began to diversify more by promoting play for leagues and clubs. We now have about 30,000 athletes who will play in anywhere between 80 and 90 tournaments per year, as well as clubs and leagues in about 200 cities.
After international play came back, we became one of the founding members of the Pacific Rim Slow Pitch Softball Federation. We did tournaments that rotated to that area for the purposes of not just playing but promoting international friendship.
Fran Dowell: And fitness too.
Hennessy: Yes – in the year 2000, Japan’s Ministry of Health and Sport approached us and asked us to help promote senior softball in the interest of getting seniors active and helping them cut down on their medical costs.
Dowell: Yes, and there is now a very strong senior program in Japan.
SDM: Is there a listing of all the tournaments you offer?
Hennessy: It can be found on our website and we keep it updated with everything that is coming up. There is also a section for our recreational events. We have different skill divisions so that players can find someone on their level.
SDM: SSUSA has a lot going on! Do you have an equal mix of men and women?
Dowell: Most of our players are men, although there are some women; we do a small co-ed tournament at our world championship; overall, though, I’d say women’s teams make up about seven to nine percent of our registration.
SDM: How much can your World Championship bring in, in terms of economic impact?
Hennessy: Overall, about 650 teams will attend. That tournament is held over the last two weeks of September and the first week of October. It brings in between $30 million and $32 million. Each year, if you add up all the tournaments we put on, there is about a $180 economic impact overall.
SDM: Is it mostly fast pitch, slow pitch or a mix?
Hennessy: Our tournaments are slow pitch. The men come over from baseball and may start out in fast pitch but move to slow pitch. The women play fast pitch when they are younger, then join our slow pitch teams.
SDM: What do you look for when you consider new places to host tournaments?
Hennessy: We have a lot of places that we keep going back to; however, when we are considering new locations, we look at whether a city has adequate tournament facilities, its proximity to an airport and whether or not it is an interesting place where people will want to go.
SDM: What kind of changes have you seen over the years?
Dowell: We have older players now.
Hennessy: Yes, when we started up, our age groups started in the 50s and the oldest group was 70s. But over the years, we have seen the need to add divisions in older age groups, even in the 90s. People are staying active longer. They have a desire to keep playing, so they are taking better care of themselves and as a result, they are really enjoying this sport.
Our slogan is “It’s more than a game,” and it’s true. Senior Softball-USA provides not just competition but camaraderie. We’re offering people the opportunity to travel, play, make friendships and have a good time. SDM
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