NPF Announces New Team in Pennsylvania

The Pride have some new competition thanks to a new franchise in the NPF! Read the league press release here:

Nashville, TN – November 20, 2013 – National Pro Fastpitch announced a brand new market and team for the 2014 season. CONSOL Energy Park located in Washington, PA, will be the new home and venue for the latest addition to professional softball, the Pennsylvania Rebellion. The Rebellion will begin competitive NPF action in the 2014 season.

“Western Pennsylvania is known worldwide as a sports powerhouse, and there is a thriving community of fastpitch players and fans at the youth, high school, and college levels, who can now experience the game at its highest level of play,” said Francine W. Williams, team owner and managing partner. “We’ve seen Pittsburgh and Washington fans support professional sports teams time and again, so we are looking forward to seeing local fans ‘Join the Rebellion.'”

The Rebellion will inherit the roster of the NY/NJ Comets, a team that was unable to secure a consistent venue inside the radius of the NY/NJ market. Along with the roster, the Pennsylvania Rebellion will be inserted into the draft positions held by the Comets, yielding the new squad the coveted #1 selection in the 2014 NPF College Draft.

“This is the first time an NPF team will be placed full time into an established and thriving minor league baseball market,” commented NPF Commissioner,  Cheri Kempf. “Putting an NPF team into the hands of people who understand the business of professional sports and who are already successful at it is an exciting possibility for this league.”

The Rebellion will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, and USSSA Pride for the 2014 season. The four-team regular season schedule is expected to be released by year’s end. This will be the second team in NPF’s eleven-year history to be located in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Force played in Allentown from 2006 through 2009

“We’re honored the NPF chose Pittsburgh, and are excited about the prospect of bringing area sports fans another professional team to support,” Williams added.  “We couldn’t do it without the enthusiasm of our partners who are quickly coming on board to be a part of this endeavor.  We’re overwhelmed with the response we’ve gotten already and we’re looking forward to taking the field in 2014.”

About NPF:

National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. 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.

About USSSA:

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!