About Us

In the Beginning

Softball was first introduced to the Army Regular Force Cadets in the New Zealand Army in November 1949 at Trentham Military Camp, Upper Hutt.

A soldier and softball enthusiast by the name of Sergeant Maurice Bull, Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC), who at the time was posted to the RNZAOC School, would come into the cadet unit and coach the cadets. The cadet team played in the local Hutt Valley Junior Competition, where it is understood that the cadets were undefeated and won the 'Bat and Ball' competition. They also played in the 'Knockout' competition, which was for all grades, but, because of their age, the cadets would have a 4 - 5 run handicap for games against senior teams. The cadets, under sound coaching from Sgt Bull, won the 'Knockout' competition. Of the 20 games played over the 1949/50 season, the cadets won 18 games and lost 2, a promising start for the cadets and Army softball.

"The Originals"

1949/50 The first Army Cadets Softball Team (OH-07-0795-12).

Sergeant Maurice Bull, RNZAOC

Maurice Bull came from a proud Wellington softball family, his father was a top Wellington umpire and his siblings were all talented softballers. It was Maurice Bull who became the driving force behind softball in the Army throughout the 1950's and 1960's as a coach and selector. The players who came into contact with him at Cadet School, Military Districts representation and tournaments involving Army softball will remember Maurice Bull primarily as a coach. He was so well regarded by all that he was referred to as 'Big White Father'. If you could think of an ideal pioneer for your sport, then Maurice Bull was that person for Army softball - may he rest in peace.

Army Softball back in the day

Our history stretches back to the days of wooden bats, stiff rawhide leather gloves and a time when batting helmets and protective equipment for catchers were not worn.

Following the introduction of softball to the cadets in 1949, softball continued to grow. After several years, it became part of the Inter-District Summer Sports Tournament and in 1955 it took it's place in the Command Trophy.

The Disabled Servicemen's Association of New Zealand donated the Command Trophy, which is made out of New Zealand woods with a central chiming clock. The Command Trophy competition began in 1948. It is an annual competition between the Military Districts of New Zealand. The original sports concerned were: Athletics, Cricket, Rugby, Basketball, Swimming, Tennis, Boxing and Hockey.

The Inter-District names and boundaries were at the time, defined as:

NMD - Northern Military Districts (Fort Cautley, Papakura and Ngaruawahia Camp),

CMD - Central Military Districts (Fort Dorset, Trentham and Linton Camp),

SMD - Southern Military Districts (Burnham Camp and King Edward Barracks)

An allegation in the early 1960's that the Trophy was successfully destroyed by Southern Military Districts who could not bear to lose it in fair battle, are utterly without foundation.

By 1962, the Summer Tournament comprised cricket, water polo, swimming, athletics, tennis and softball teams who all competed for points towards the Command Trophy. It was also in 1962, that Waiouru Military Camp became a command to create a quadrangular tournament.

The military district with the highest aggregate points following the completion of the Summer and Winter Tournaments would be declared the winner of the Command Trophy. For a time, the Summer Sports Tournaments were mainly for male competitors, with the exception of mixed tennis and softball, which had a separate men's and women's competition.

At the completion of the Summer Tournament, each sport would name its Army representative team to play one-off fixtures against the local Provincial A or B teams, such as Auckland or Canterbury.

During the early stages of the Army representative teams' existence, they would wear one of the district teams' uniform for their representative games, until Army softball established its own uniforms for the men's and women's teams.

The Army Men's and Women's teams along with the other Services would participate in the Rothmans National Championships where they would compete in the Inter-Association C Section (Ed Barr Cup). According to records provided by Softball New Zealand, the Army Men's Team won the Ed Barr Cup on the following occasions:

• 1967 in Christchurch
• 1968 in Auckland
• 1970 in Invercargill
• 1972 in Auckland
• 1974 in Lower Hutt

In 1964, the inaugural Inter-Services Softball Tournament was held for the first time and saw teams from the Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force compete over a three-day period.

In 1967 at Burnham Camp, the New Zealand Police teams joined the Inter-Services Tournament and would remain part of the tournament until December 1995. During that period, tournament teams were selected from the four Services for both men and women and were called the New Zealand Combined Services. A representative pocket with the Combined Services crest embroidered was presented to those selected into the team.

Combined Services teams were regular participants at the National Provincial Championship tournaments.  In 1988, at the Rothmans National Provincial Championships in Invercargill, the Combined Services Men's Team performed extremely well and finished the tournament in 4th place, which is the highest any Combined Services team has achieved.

In 1992, at the National Provincial Championships in Dunedin, the Combined Services Men's Team beat Auckland 2 - 1 in the B Section final to win the Dick Headifen Memorial Trophy for the first and, to date, only time.  

In 1998, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Inter-Services Softball Tournament was reformed again, this time with teams from the Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force

Over the years, as Army boundaries, organisations and camp sizes changed, the Inter-Districts Softball Tournament was renamed the Inter-Regional Tournament in 1972.

In 1996, all inter-regional sports tournaments were disbanded, which for the many sportsmen and women was a painful period. Fortunately, the Inter-Service tournaments were still conducted. In 1999, the Chief of Army resurrected inter-regional sport again and it was business as usual.

Over the past two decades, the Army Women's Team have won the Prendergast Trophy an unprecedented 13 times. The Army Men's Team have won the Lauthala Bay Trophy 10 times. This winning record is arguably the best record of any Army code over the past 20 years.

All softball tournaments played throughout the New Zealand Defence Force follow Softball New Zealand Rules, which are closely aligned to International Softball Federation Rules. The style of pitching required during all New Zealand Defence Force tournaments is the 'windmill' motion, which is normally used in 'fastpitch' softball.

Today, Army softball is proud to be one of the 11 official sports within the New Zealand Army.

Army Softball Committee

Each sporting code authorised to conduct approved Army sports tournaments must have a committee. The chairperson of the committee is to be the representative of the code on the Army Sports Committee. The Army Softball Committee is made up of the code chairperson, a secretary and selected representatives from each of the three regions (Northern, Central and Southern).

The committee meets at the end of each season to reflect on Army Softball's results, the tournaments it has conducted, general business and to forecast and plan the coming season's activities. Continued improvement is the committee's main focus. Not only does Army Softball look at continually developing its players, but it also supports people within Army Softball who have the desire to take up coaching, umpiring or become a statistician.

Army softball has been fortunate over the years to have had its members selected to represent New Zealand softball at the highest level as players and officials. It is also grateful for those members who have been or who are currently involved with coaching provincial and community age group teams, which in turn puts something back into the sport and community, but also helps promote the Army.

Army softballers at the 2006 Softball NZ Coaching Seminar (from left to right: Lynda Pascoe, Ra Koia, Eddie Kohlase (Black Sox head coach), Sue Harrison, Dean Groves and Dion Nukunuku (Junior Black Sox asst coach and former Black Sox player) (OH-08-0385-18).

Code Chairperson

The chairperson of an Army code committee is directly responsible to the Army Sports Committee, for all matters pertaining to the code in the Army. The list of the chairpersons' responsibilities is comprehensive and encompasses all aspects of running an effective committee, including responsibility for tournaments, budgeting, team resources, developing athletes and officials, and promoting the code within the Army and wider community. The current Army Softball Code Chairperson is Warrant Officer Class Two Dean Groves, RNZALR, pictured.

The following are the previous Army Softball Code Chairpersons:

NZ Army Softball Patron

In December 2004, at the Inter-Services Tournament final function at Waiouru Camp, the code chairperson WO1 Grant McCarroll, appointed Mr John Eagar, the New Zealand Army Softball Patron.

John enlisted into the Army in 1948 as an All Arms Storeman in the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. He first represented Army softball in 1953 and continued playing for many years. In 1970, John was appointed the Army Men's Team coach.

In 1975, John was presented the Army Colour for his outstanding service to Army Softball.

In 1980, John turned to the 'dark side' and became an umpire. Over the years, he regularly offered his services not only to Inter-Regional and Inter-Service Tournaments, but to his local softball association (Canterbury).

His son, Dale has followed in his father's softball footsteps as a player, coach, official and as the CEO of Softball New Zealand from 2005 - 2008.

In 2007, John was invited to tour Australia with the Army teams to attend the Australian Defence Softball Association Softball tournament at Randwick Barracks. John accepted the invitation and was a key member of the touring party both on and off the diamond.

In 2007, John kindly donated "The Patron's Trophy" to Army softball for the most outstanding player (male or female) in the Army.

John is highly regarded by all Army softballers and is known by most as 'The Don'.

Strategic Plan

The eleven sporting codes within the Army are required to document a five-year strategic plan. The plan is an indication to the Army Sports Committee of the codes' intentions for tournaments (dates and venues), training camps, tours, team resources and sports orientated courses, etc. The Army Softball strategic plan ensures that the code is heading into the future in the right direction.

A schedule of Army and Defence softball events for this calendar year can be viewed by visiting the Events Calendar.

Regional Boundaries and Team Colours

The current Regional boundaries and team colours are defined as follows:

Northern: The Northern Region is a combined region comprised of unit members from Auckland, Northland, Tauranga, Waikato, Land Doctrine and Training Group (formerly Army Training Group Waiouru) and Wellington. The Northern Regions colours are green, white and black.

Central: The Central Region comprises unit members from Linton Camp, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Napier. The Central Regions colours are red, white and black.

Southern: The Southern Region comprises all South Island unit members. The Southern Region colours are blue, white and black.

Inter-Regional Tournament

The purpose of the Inter-Regional Tournament is to provide a tournament for the Army's regions to compete for the Championship trophies. It is also used to select the Army Men's and Women's Teams who will compete at the Inter-Services Tournament.

The Inter-Regional Tournament is held each year, usually during October or November, and ideally prior to the Inter-Services Tournament. The region hosting the tournament is determined on a rolling basis by the code committee and subject to the approval of the hosting region's Formation Commander.

Participation at the tournament is open to physically and medically fit Army Regular Force and Territorial Force personnel and NZ Defence employees working within an Army organisation and or camp. Regional men's and women's teams are selected from each region and compete against each other over a three-day tournament. Weather permitting, a double round robin is played out over two days to determine the seedings going into finals day, with the top seeded region advancing straight into the final.

On finals day, the second and third seeded teams from round robin play will playoff, with the loser being awarded 3rd place and the winner advancing to the final. At the completion of the final, the losing team is awarded second place and the winning team is awarded first place (Tournament Champions).

The tournament trophies that are currently established for each of the gender competitions are as follows:

• Tournament Champions
• Most Valuable Player
• Top Pitcher
• Top Batter
• Most Runs Batted In
• Rookie of the Tournament
• Patrons Trophy

The Tournament is fortunate enough to call on past and present Service personnel and or local association umpires and statisticians who assist in the general conduct of the Tournament.

The Army Sports Committee and code committee is extremely grateful for the continued support it receives from umpires and statisticians.

At the completion of tournament play, all tournament participants are required to get dressed into Sport Dress 'No. 1's' (pictured) and assemble for the final function. The formalities include a buffet dinner followed by the presentation of the individual and team awards. The final formality is the naming of the New Zealand Army Men's and Women's Teams, which will compete at the Inter-Services tournament. The highlight of the evening occurs when an Army Pocket is presented to a new member or members ('New Cap' or 'Rookie') of Army softball.

NZ Army Crests

The following are New Zealand Army crests that would have been worn as an Army pocket at the time of representing New Zealand Army sport. The individual presented with his or her pocket would have the name of the sport they were representing embroidered onto the Army pocket, which is sewn onto a black blazer or sports jacket. Wearing the Army pocket for their sport is considered an honour for all Army Sportspeople.

Army Teams Training Camp

As a lead into the Inter-Services Tournament, the Army teams hold a training camp over a two-day period, usually over a weekend. The training camps are aimed at honing the fundamentals of softball (throwing, fielding and hitting), offensive and defensive strategies, plus getting the team used to each other prior to the Inter-Services tournament. It is common nowadays for the Army teams to culminate the training camp with a game against a local club team near the venue of the camp.

Inter-Service Tournament

The Inter-Services Softball Tournament is an annual sports event hosted on a rolling basis by an individual New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Service. The tournament continues to be played over a three-day period for the chance to stand on the winners' podium. The tournament is played in accordance with Softball New Zealand Rules.

There is scope for a fourth or fifth team to enter the Inter-Services tournament at the approval of the NZDF Sports Committee and the hosting Service. Presently, the Tournament is strengthened by the attendance of the New Zealand Fire Service and the Australian Defence Force Softball Association (ADSA) Men's and Women's Teams.

Again the Tournament is fortunate to call on past and present Service personnel and or local umpires and statisticians who assist in the general conduct of the tournament. Like the Army Regional tournament, the NZDF Sports Committee and the NZDF softball code are grateful for the continued support it receives.

The Tournament format is determined on the number of teams in attendance, but culminates in a winning Service team. The Tournament Champions trophy for the women's competition is the Prendergast Cup and the men's is the Lauthala Bay Trophy.

Presentation of the Lauthala Bay Trophy (pictured) to the Army men's captain in December 1972

The NZDF Tournament also has a formal function, comprising of a buffet dinner, prize giving and the naming of the New Zealand Defence Force Men's and Women's Teams.

The only other major tournament team trophy awarded is the Dale Tamehana Memorial Trophy. It is awarded to the Service that scores the most combined runs during the tournament.

2005/06 Presentation of the Dale Tamehana Memorial Trophy to Army (OH-08-0385-17).

The individual tournament trophies awarded are:

• Most Valuable Player
• Top Batter
• Top Pitcher
• Most Home Runs (single trophy)
• Most Runs Batted In
• Most Stolen Bases
• Rookie of the Tournament
• Personality of the Tournament
• The Black Sox Trophy. For dedicated and committed service to NZDF softball.

The NZDF representative teams may either attend the National Provincial or Open Club Championship tournaments or play one off fixtures against a provincial team or test matches against visiting Australian Defence Force teams.

The New Zealand Defence Force Softball Inter-Services Tournament Committee extends a welcome to multi-national military 'fastpitch' softball teams interested in attending our tournament. Please contact us if you require further information regarding the NZDF Inter-Services Tournament.

Internal Tournaments and Tours

For many years, Army Men's and Women's Teams have attended a variety of tournaments throughout New Zealand, such as the Rothmans National Championships, Pan Am Inter-Club Championships, Open Inter-Club Championships and the Wainui Classic, to name a few. Army Softball has always represented the Army and competed extremely well throughout the New Zealand softball community and have won a number of trophies or placed well at these tournaments.

In December 1998, following the Inter-Services Tournament at Woodbourne, the Army Teams were scheduled to conduct a South Island tour. The tour was aimed at developing and promoting Army softball from a series of games against Canterbury club teams, including a double header against the Canterbury U19's and a one off game against South Canterbury in Timaru. Unfortunately, the Women's Team was unable to tour, which meant the Men's Team had to go it alone. The results from the 6 games played were 5 wins and 1 loss. Overall, the tour was a huge success not only for the Army Men's Team, but the club teams and the local communities that were involved.

External Tours

In November 1999, the Army Teams were scheduled to venture offshore for the fist time in our history, travelling to Sydney Australia to attend the Australian Defence Force Softball Carnival. Unfortunately, due to a major overseas deployment for the Army, a large number of tour members had to withdraw, which in turn saw the tour cancelled.

In November 2004, the Army Teams finally ventured offshore to Sydney, Australia, to compete in the Australian Defence Force Softball Association National Championships at RAF Base Richmond 15 - 19 November. The Australians hosted our teams superbly, the weather was warm and the softball was fierce. The tournament saw state teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and the New Zealand Army.

The Women's Team had mixed results, but the men went through tournament play undefeated. Following the tournament, test matches between the NZ Army and the ADSA teams were keenly fought.

The ADSA Women's Team beat the NZ Army women, but the Army Men's Team won a very close encounter, so the Trans-Tasman trophies were split between the two countries.

The final act of the tournament was a function at the local Returned Serviceman's League, where tournament prizes and trophies were presented, followed by socialising, which went well into the early hours. All in all, a fantastic experience for our teams and one we look forward to continuing and reciprocating in the near future.

Army Sports Awards

The NZ Army Sports Committee hosts the Army Sports Awards on an annual basis to recognise sporting excellence within the NZ Army and beyond. The first Army Sports Awards was held in 2003. As well as recognising individual achievement, each of the 11 approved sporting codes are represented at the awards. The full list of previous sports awards nominees and winners can be viewed by clicking on the 'Honours and Awards' link

Tournament Archive

A number of inter-district, inter-regional and inter-services official tournament programmes have been received by Army Softball from former Army Softball members. The programmes contain valuable information for our code's history, including the tournament dates and venues and in most cases the members of the participating teams. This information can be viewed by visiting the Tournament Archive.

If you have tournament programmes that are not listed or can help army softball with additional or corrective information, please contact us.

If you would like to loan or donate your New Zealand Defence Force softball tournament programmes, photographs or old softball uniforms to the Army Softball Committee to help enhance our historical records, please contact us.

Click for larger Image | 148kb JPG

Culture

Army softball culture has steadily developed over the years thanks to the efforts of all the players, coaches, tournament organisers, umpires, scorers and certain individuals who have contributed to the sport.

1996 Army Softball Reunion at Palmerston North.

As many of you know, the friendships and memories made during your time with Army Softball, the other Services or the Combined Services teams can last for many years if not a lifetime. On the occasions that we get together each year for military tournaments or at organised reunions, or impromptu gatherings at softball events, it seems like we never parted. What a fantastic 'softballing' family to be part of.

Impromptu gathering of ex Combined Services members at the 2004 Men's World Softball Championships in Christchurch, NZ (OH-07-0792-98).

Donning the army playing top, the famed Red Jersey, is a real honour and this is certainly reinforced to all new members of Army Softball.

2003 The Army men's softball team perform the haka to the Australian Defence Force team at Woodbourne (OH-08-0385-95).

Today, Army Softball has developed a team resource kit that lists our goals, objectives, ethics and values, which all players are expected to 'buy into' and live whilst they wear the Army Softball pocket. Whenever we represent Army softball in competition, we are not only playing for our team, our Service and ourselves, but we are also playing for all of the former Army softballers who have paved the way for us today.

A phrase that has recently been adopted within Army Softball, which is used by New Zealand's very own Black Sox, is "Class when you win and Class when you lose".

2007/08 Army Men's Softball Team (OH-08-0385-11).

Finally

The information contained within this webpage represents some of the stories of a unique group of Army sporting men and women.

The Army Softball Committee would like to thank the Army web manager and her team for all of the advice and assistance they provided in developing this webpage. We wish to also thank the Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force Photography departments for the many photographs that are displayed on this website.

Lastly, to all of the past and present Army Softball members who provided their photographs, tournament programmes and general information that has enabled Army Softball to finally document our history, we thank you.

Yours in Army Softball...