Softball is a ball game played outdoors in teams of at least 9 players. Although the name suggests otherwise, softball is played with hard balls.  

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A softball game consists of so-called innings, two halves in which each team plays in the field once (defends) and at bat once (attacks). The offensive side’s goal is to have their players, after hitting a softball – thrown underhand by the pitcher of the defending side – run over the 4 bases to score runs. The defensive side tries to prevent this by putting out batters and base runners by, for example, catching the batted ball with their glove or tagging runners with the ball before a base is reached. With 3 outs, an at bat is over and the teams change positions. The team with the most runs scored wins the game. A full softball game covers 7 innings and lasts on average about 1.5 to 2 hours. However, in most youth leagues and some senior leagues, games are played with a maximum duration of 1.5 hours.

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In the Netherlands, softball can be played in different age categories: U12 (9-12 years old), U15 (13-15 years old), U21 (16-21 years old) and seniors (>18 years old), where the age reached in a calendar year is leading for the classification in a certain category. Children as young as 5 can start with a precursor of softball called beeball (see separate sub-page for more info). Softball teams in the youth league consist of girls only. In the senior leagues there are separate leagues for both women and men.

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The softball league in the Netherlands is organized by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB) and runs roughly from early April through the end of September, with a short break during the summer holidays. The league is preceded by indoor practices in January and February and practice games in March.

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To play softball at HSV Adegeest it is necessary to purchase the following materials/items:  

• An Adegeest uniform (gray pants and blue/yellow jersey; available at SSK Europe in Kwintsheul); up to the age of 18 you can rent your uniform from the club, so you don’t have to buy a new uniform when you need a bigger size.  

• A softball glove; available at special baseball/softball stores.  

• For softball youth: a face mask; available at special baseball/softball stores.

• A softball helmet; available at special baseball/softball stores.  

• Outdoor shoes with cleats e.g. softball shoes, possibly with metal cleats (>16 years) or hockey/football shoes.

• For men: a toque.