Australia's road to WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2024 set to begin with National Championships
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<p>From 9-14 January, seven Australian states and territories will compete at the Hawker International Softball Centre in Canberra, for the Open Women’s National Championship (Gilley's Shield), the country's top women's softball competition. Streaming of the round robin will be available via the Softball ACT Facebook page, with the final day being streamed by Softball Australia via Youtube.</p>
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<p>The National Championships are a key part of the high-performance pathway, with the best players being looked at for selection for the Australia's National Team. </p>
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<p>With the <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-womens-softball-world-cup-finals/home"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals</span></strong></a> taking place in July and softball returning to the Olympic programme for Los Angeles in 2028, the tournament has gained further interest and relevance. Australia's selectors will be looking at the short-term options for the World Cup and the medium-term prospects for the 2028 Olympic qualification process, which will be announced at a later stage.</p>
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<p>The tournament features the top softball athletes from Australia, as well as Great Britain's ace Georgina Corrick, who was invited to represent Victoria in the competition. Participating teams include the aforementioned Victoria, the defending champions South Australia, hosts ACT, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia.</p>
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<p>You can check the schedule and the team rosters at <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.softball.org.au/2024-national-championship-information/2024-gilleys-shield-open-womens-national-championship/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Softball Australia website (opens in a new tab)">Softball Australia website</a></span></strong>.</p>
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<p>Australia, placed No. 10 in the <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking (opens in a new tab)" href="https://rankings.wbsc.org/en/list/softball/women" target="_blank">WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking</a></span></strong>, advanced to the <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-womens-softball-world-cup-finals/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2024</span></strong></a> after a second-place finish in Group A of the Group Stage, played in Balbriggan, Ireland, last year. </p>
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<p>The World Championship Finals 2024 will take place in Castions di Strada, Italy, from 15-21 July. Australia will face No. 2 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico and No. 8 Netherlands in Group B. </p>
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