Contact
Erin MacNeill
President, YYC Softball Little League
Email: contact@girlssoftball.ca
YYC Fastpitch Development Society was created in January 2019, our goal is to help athletes develop a lifelong love for the game of softball. In March 2019, we partnered with Little League, aligning our programs with their grassroots development model, Fair Play philosophy, and access to international competitive opportunities. We offer inclusive programs for female youth athletes in Calgary and surrounding areas, with a strong focus on skill development, teamwork, and enjoyment of the game.
Since 2022, our programming has expanded to include Spring Travel Teams, allowing athletes to participate in competitive tournament play alongside house league games. Our summer season is centered on tournament competition, where our teams have experienced notable success, including back-to-back appearances at the Little League World Series. As the league continues to grow, we now offer three levels of play: House League, Hybrid, and Competitive Spring Travel Teams—providing pathways that support athletes at every stage of development.
Softball should be a sport that welcomes and supports athletes at every stage of their journey—from grassroots participation to national-level competition. While traditional softball pathways work well for some athletes, they do not meet the needs of all players. Too often, young athletes leave the sport early due to factors such as excessive competition, lack of engagement, limited development opportunities, or unrealistic expectations.
Softball is a unique team sport where individual performance plays a significant role, which can make it easy for young athletes to feel more or less valued. As players grow and mature, they begin to understand their roles and recognize the importance of every teammate. As a late specialization sport that requires strategy, decision-making, and game awareness, softball is best experienced over time. Instilling a love for the game first is essential to keeping athletes engaged long enough to fully appreciate and develop within it.
Our programs prioritize enjoyment, inclusion, and long-term development by focusing on skill building through modified season structures and gameplay rules. These adaptations improve pace of play, increase ball touches, enhance player engagement, and create a fun and social environment. Athletes at all levels are given opportunities to develop skills across all areas of the game through a supportive approach that combines volunteer coaches with instruction from experienced instructors and junior coaches.