FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 November 2001

SOFTBALL PITCHERS AND FENCES TO MOVE BACK

TAMPA, Florida – In a move designed to bring even more excitement to women’s fast pitch softball, the International Softball Federation has extended the distance between the pitching rubber and home plate from 40 to 43 feet and the fence-distance from 200 to 220 feet.

Both rules changes will take effect on January 1, 2002.

“This change will certainly open up the field and will put more offense into the game,’’ said Merle Butler, the ISF Rules Interpreter.

The announcement came here Monday during the ISF World Congress meeting. Other rule changes were few and all were minor changes.

The drive to change the rule came after the Sydney Olympics where it was evident that the game had progressed to the point that pitching dominated the game and that the fences only 200 feet away gave the power hitters a bit of an advantage.

The new rules will be in effect for all international softball involving female athletes and will get their first big test in July when the Women’s Fast Pitch Championship will be held in Saskatoon, Canada.