“As our journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games continues, the opportunity to play against quality competition becomes vitally important, especially with a group of young athletes," said Great Britain Softball Head of Performance Gary Anderson.
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<p>The Great Britain Women’s National Softball Team and the Oklahoma City Spark from the Women's Professional Fastpitch pro league, announced the second annual Royal Spark Challenge to be played on 27-28 June at OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. </p>
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<p>“As our journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games continues, the opportunity to play against quality competition becomes vitally important, especially with a group of young athletes," said Great Britain Softball Head of Performance Gary Anderson. "This partnership with Spark allows our players to face the best possible competition, in a high-performance, professional environment. The Spark have been fantastic partners, and this is a fantastic opportunity for the Great Britain Senior Team to test itself before this year’s U-18 World Cup, U-22 European Championships, and Senior European Softball Championships.” </p>
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<p>This year’s Challenge marks both the start of the OKC Spark season as well as the beginning of training for Great Britain, who will play in the 2024 European Softball Championship in Utrecht this September. Selections for the Great Britain Women’s Team will take place in June in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the campus of Oklahoma State University, with further details to be announced.</p>
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<p>The first Royal Spark Challenge took place in 2023, with the Spark visiting the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park in Farnham Royal, England for the inaugural two-game series. The Challenge marked the first time a professional softball team had ever played in the United Kingdom.</p>
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<p>“Last year’s Royal Spark Challenge was the perfect tune-up before the WBSC Women’s World Cup, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to play the Spark again this year," said Great Britain head coach Tara Henry. "In order to continue to develop, we must prepare against the highest level of talent, and the Spark have proven themselves to be just that. We can’t wait until this year’s Royal Spark Challenge!”</p>
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<p>Currently ranked No. 13 in the <a href="http://rankings.wbsc.org/en/list/softball/women"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WBSC/KONAMI Women's Softball World Ranking</span></strong></a>, Great Britain finished third in last year's Group A of the <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2023-xvii-womens-softball-world-cup-group-a/home"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WBSC Women's Softball World Cup</span></strong></a>, just missing out on a spot in the Finals 2024. </p>
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<p>The British U-18 Women's National Softball Team will participate in the category's World Cup, which opens this year with the group stage. They will play in <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-ii-u-18-womens-softball-world-cup-group-a/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Group A (opens in a new tab)">Group A</a></span></strong> in Sao Paulo, Brazil, along with the host team, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Czechia and No. 32 New Zealand.</p>
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<p>The OGE Energy Field at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City will host the <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2024-xviii-mens-softball-world-cup-group-c/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C (opens in a new tab)">WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C</a></span></strong>, from 17-21 September.</p>
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