 January 6, 2009 - National Pro Fastpitch League Commissioner/President Cheri Kempf announced today that the League will field five teams during the 2009 season, including the 2008 NPF regular season and Championship Series Champions, Chicago Bandits, the Akron Racers, the Rockford Thunder, the Washington Glory and the Philadelphia Force. The New England Riptide has withdrawn from the NPF and will not compete in the 2009 season, citing economic duress. A new schedule has been released to reflect this latest development.
The Riptide was one of the original six teams that joined the revamped Women’s Pro Softball League in 2004 to form the current League, known as National Pro Fastpitch. With the re-structure of the League, Riptide owners, Joe and Lauri Adlman were instrumental in forming an operating group consisting of team owners in early 2005, and the Riptide captured NPF Championship honors in 2006. The New England Riptide finished the 2009 season with a record of 22 wins and 26 losses.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we have made this decision,” said the Adlmans. “We would like to thank the community of Lowell, our sponsors, staff and especially our players for their support and contribution over the years. We hope to leave the door open, however, for a return to the league in 2010, after we have had time to pursue additional opportunities with sponsors, gain additional support for the Riptide from the local community and improve our stadium to fit within the league’s professional standards.”
“I applaud Joe and Lauri Adlman for their very vital part in creating the NPF, along with the other owners in 2005,” commented Kempf. “New England has been a market that NPF players were proud to play in, and each season, the Riptide has put a competitive team on the field. I am sorry that the Riptide tradition will not continue in New England, however, we will continue moving forward with professional fastpitch and we will insure that the New England players get a fair opportunity to be picked up in other markets.”
The current players of the New England Riptide roster are officially free agents and can be picked up by any of the remaining five NPF squads. Four players on the New England roster were named to the 2009 All NPF team: Pitcher Eileen Canney; first baseman, Lyndsey Angus; and outfielders, Gina Carbonatto and and Lisa Modglin.
The 2009 schedule will include all NPF teams competing against each other a total of 10 games (5 home and 5 away match-ups) for a 40 game total that will determine regular season standings. The top four teams will move onto the Championship Series August 19th – 23rd, in Akron, Ohio. The openings left by the New England Riptide will most likely be filled by eager National Teams from foreign countries who tour the U.S. every summer and are always hopeful to land exhibition games in the world’s most competitive professional fastpitch League.
“In spite of the loss of the New England market, the NPF continues to move forward and upward as a viable professional sports option for women. The League Teams have dedicated ownership who have committed a great deal in support of their respective ball clubs, and who continue to strive for new and better ways to make the sport, the League, and its players a more attractive option for sponsors. Although it is somewhat disheartening to lose a team, I urge everyone to continue to keep an eye on the NPF. It is a League that is on the move, with a sport that has exploded in popularity over the last decade. We will continue to broaden awareness of the League and to increase the audience that will surely be impressed by the extraordinary talent and performances of our athletes,” Kempf added.
Major League Baseball – Official Development Partner
Major League Baseball is the Official Development Partner of National Pro Fastpitch in the category of women's professional fastpitch softball. The partnership, which began the fall of 2002, is part of The Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball, a league-wide effort to help Major League Baseball and the 30 Major League Clubs build stronger relationships with female audiences.
About National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. 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 Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL).
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