For the second year in a row, a team from Japan will take home the Girls with Game Team Sportsmanship Award as Kinki Little League (Tokyo, Japan) earned the 2026 honors based on its conduct and interactions both on and off the field throughout its time competing in the Little League Softball® World Series, Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, in Greenville, North Carolina.
“Sportsmanship is at the heart of what the Little League experience is all about, and Kinki Little League demonstrated that throughout their entire time in Greenville,” said Ashlea Miller, Little League Director of Softball Development and Little League Softball World Series Tournament Director. “From the way they competed on the field to the respect, enthusiasm, and camaraderie they showed away from it, these young athletes represented what it truly means to be Girls with Game. We are incredibly proud to recognize them with this award and hope the example they set inspires Little Leaguers around the world.
Presented for the first time during the 2021 Little League Softball World Series, the Girls with Game Team Sportsmanship Award recognizes the team that shows what it means to be “Girls with Game” both on and off the field. The Little League Girls with Game Initiative, originally launched in 2019, is dedicated to honoring all the girls and women who have made the Little League program what it is today and those who inspire the future generation of female participants at every level.
Members of the Little League International Staff, LLSWS Tournament Committee, participating managers, volunteers, and media were given the chance to vote on which team they believed should be recognized for this award. In addition, through its partnership with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) and the AUSL Pro Game at the LLSWS where the athletes got to interact with the Little Leaguers over the course of two days, Little League International was able to have the professional softball players contribute to the voting to ultimately determine this year’s recipient.