Softball is a discipline that came straight from the United States. “In a nutshell, it’s like baseball with bigger balls, smaller distances. It is mainly practiced by girls,” explain Florian Cleyetcoach of the Liège Rebels Ladies.
In the 80s, this sport came to us. Since last year, the women’s team of the Rebels of Liège has reformed after a twenty-year absence. “We had girls who were already playing baseball with us. And then, when we had enough girls, we were able to set up the softball team which made its first tournaments last year. The first season went very well. We won more matches than we thought,” said the coach of the Liège Rebels Ladies.
They are now about fifteen players, including Emma, pitcher. “I was playing in school in third grade. We played baseball all the time and I was very interested in that. So I got interested, but I didn’t know it existed in Belgium. I thought it was just in the United States. And then when I saw that there was a club near my house, I rushed,” recount Emma Lecocqplayer of the Liège Rebels Ladies.
Marie started playing softball last November. A discipline that has more and more success. “I think it’s a little more special sport compared to others, like football or basketball. We hear less about it, and the rules are quite quite complex. I really like this kind of sport. Usually when I talk about it, I say baseball because nobody knows softball. But I talk about it more and more around me and people seem to be honestly interested. It’s a cool sport that you often see in American movies, so it’s pretty cool,” let it be known Marie Buckinxplayer of the Liège Rebels Ladies.
At the Liège Rebels, the important thing is above all to have fun. “We always try to uplift each other, encourage each other, etc. Motivation also helps to progress and we really try to tell ourselves that deep down, it’s a game. We don’t have our life exactly at stake. We’re making good progress and it’s having fun that counts. As long as we like it and we’re really into it, we see the level rising right away,” Emma explains. “Even when we lose, we are really happy to have played the match. We’re here to have fun, not to take the lead and the team atmosphere is great. The girls are amazing.
Having fun is good, but with goals, it’s even better. The friendly tournament of the day will have served as good preparation before trying to aim for the rise in division 2 this season. “This year, we are coming back hoping to play the play-offs,” announces Florian Cleyet. The championship will begin on April 15. It will be at home, against Andenne.
Thomas Michiels
