Bobby Pitches In for the Poneke Kilbirnie Softball Club

The Bobby Foundation was pleased to support the Poneke Kilbirnie Softball Club with $2k towards travel costs recently - helping to get a team to the Vic Guth Tournament in Auckland. This crucial support enabled the team to attend fully prepared and focused on their performance.

Their Premier Men’s team has been invited to compete for decades and every year they endeavour to attend.

“This tournament provides a valuable opportunity to test ourselves against top-tier competition,” said Club Secretary, Frances Pearson. “However, the associated costs - airfares and hiring a van - pose a real challenge given our budget constraints.

This national tournament features the best softball teams and players from around the country. Attending events such as this helps players to develop and provides a wonderful opportunity to promote the game and expose it to a wider audience. The greater the number of teams taking part, the more competitive and exciting the tournament becomes.

Frances shared with us the importance of this funding. "The grant eased the burden on individual players and families, so no one was priced out of the experience. The van hire allowed the group to travel together, fostering camaraderie and consistent preparation enroute. Thanks to the grant, we could enter the tournament with full squads and compete at our highest level.

“Thanks to Bobby,” Frances added, “Our club’s players not only had the opportunity to compete at a top-level event but returned inspired and more united than ever.”

Bobby: Bringing people together through the love of sport.