Delaware is Home to a World Series for First Time

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Nov. 19, 2003) – The Lower Sussex Little League Complex in Roxanna, Del., will be the site of the 29th annual Senior League Softball World Series next year, with 10 of the finest girls softball teams in the world gathering for a week of fun, camaraderie and softball, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball.

“We’re pleased that Sussex County will open its arms to welcome girls from around the world in friendly competition,” Mr. Keener said. “The Little League volunteers there are second to none, and we’re looking forward to a great tournament next August.”

The tournament will be played Aug. 15-20. The Girls Senior League Softball Division of Little League is for 14-16-year-olds. Martin Donovan of Georgetown, Del., Little League district administrator for Delaware District 3, is the tournament director. The president of Lower Sussex Little League is Bruce Layton.

“The folks around here have been wanting to host a World Series for many years,” Mr. Donovan said of Delaware’s first World Series. “The planning has already started.”

The first Senior League Softball World Series was played in 1976, two years after Little League began its softball program. Today, more than 41,000 girls play each season in the Senior League Softball Division, part of an overall softball program consisting of more than 350,000 girls.

Teams expected to participate in the Senior League Softball World Series are from the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region. One team will be the Delaware District 3 champion.

The 14-acre Lower Sussex Little League Complex, nestled near cornfields, features six fields and modern concession and meeting facilities. It is located just a few minutes from the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, amusement parks and museums, and is 90 minutes from several major airports. Nearby hotel space also is abundant.

Little League is the world’s largest organized youth sports program with nearly 2.7 million baseball and softball players, and more than 1 million volunteers in all 50 U.S. states and scores of other countries.

A list of Senior League Softball World Series champions is below:

1976 Wellswood LL-Tampa, Fla.
1977 Wellswood LL-Tampa, Fla.
1978 Wellswood LL-Tampa, Fla.
1979 Gaylord LL-Gaylord, Mich.
1980 Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1981 Shippensburg LL-Shippensburg, Pa.
1982 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1983 Orange Park LL-Orange Park, Fla.
1984 Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1985 Beaverdale LL-Des Moines, Iowa
1986 Georgetown LL-Jennison, Mich.
1987 Quito LL-Campbell, Calif.
1988 Tigard LL-Tigard, Ore.
1989 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1990 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1991 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1992 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1993 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1994 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1995 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1996 Greater Naples LL-Naples, Fla.
1997 Parkview LL-Lancaster, Calif.
1998 West Portage LL-Portage, Mich.
1999 Stanton LL-Newport LL-Wilmington, Del.
2000 Santa Cruz Valley LL-Eloy, Ariz.
2001 Foothill LL-Glendale, Calif.
2002 Midway LL-Waco, Texas
2003 East Surrey LL-Pilot Mountain, N.C.