Event directors for the 2015 Colorado Firework/Sparkler/Junior Sparkler have announced details on the set of four games featuring two teams from the National Pro Fastpitch League that will be played during the event in late June and early July.
The Dallas Charge (an expansion affiliate of the NPF) and the Akron Racers (the longest-tenured pro fastpitch team) will play four games of their NPF regular-season schedule at Sparkler/Fireworks, the popular Triple Crown Sports summertime fastpitch event that draws the country’s most competitive programs. Arrangements for the games are as follows:
Information is subject to change.
Date Time Location Matchup
June 29 5 p.m. MT Greeley, Colo. (Twin Rivers Community Park) Akron Racers vs. Dallas Charge
June 30 6 p.m. MT Erie, Colo. (Erie Community Park) Akron Racers vs. Dallas Charge
July 1 7 p.m. MT Westminster, Colo. (Christopher Fields) Akron Racers vs. Dallas Charge
July 2 7 p.m. MT Aurora, Colo. (Aurora Sports Park) Akron Racers vs. Dallas Charge
Ticket information and other details about the games will be released later this spring; the June 29 and June 30 games will be televised live on CBS Sports Network, part of a 25-game NPF package on the network in 2015. The five-team NPF league begins play in late May and concludes in late August.
The notion of bringing professional softball to the Sparkler/Fireworks dates back to the early 2000’s. The NPF had a single touring team in that era, which played exhibition games against regional all-star teams, and the event has also hosted New Zealand’s national squad.
Every few years, the idea seems to catch a bit of momentum, and the Dallas Charge decided to swap out this piece of their home schedule to come to the Sparkler/Fireworks.
"It should be a unique and exciting opportunity for NPF to feature a regular-season series from the Colorado locations of Erie and Greeley during the extremely popular Triple Crown tournaments over the 4th of July holiday week,” said Cheri Kempf, NPF commissioner. “This is a great opportunity for professional softball to be front and center with a young audience in-venue, that is obviously invested in the future of softball -- we believe the unavoidable enthusiasm of that audience will translate very well on national television."
“We are honored to be hosting the Dallas Charge, Akron Racers and NPF at the Sparkler/Fireworks Tournaments this summer,” said tournament director Stephanie Klaviter. “It has always been our dream to have the world of fastpitch collide in Colorado for one week each summer, and we are thrilled that our participants will be able to enjoy the best in our sport in person.”
About Colorado Sparkler/Fireworks: More than 800 teams came to Colorado in 2014 to participate in these tournaments, which attract the most competitive youth fastpitch programs in the nation. College coaches flock to the event to recruit for their programs, and the event features numerous showcase opportunities as well as clinics, televised all-star games and essential, up-to-date information on the recruiting process for parents, players and club coaches. For 2015, Triple Crown expects to hit 900 teams for the tournaments, with upwards of 650 coaches in attendance. For more information visit: www.triplecrownsports.com.
About National Pro Fastpitch: National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002. For more information visit: www.profastpitch.com.
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