Founded in 1990, the Hayward Adult Softball League organizes community softball events for all adults to enjoy. It aims to strengthen a shared love for sports and overall physical health for the elderly.
According to Hayward Adult Softball League Commissioner Joe Farias, the league started off with around 18 adults over 50 years of age who wished to play softball during the daytime. Most of them were playing in the beer leagues every Sunday, but they wanted to have opportunities to play more games during the week. At that time, Farias was the director of Castro Valley Adult & Career Education.
“I agreed to co-sponsor the league with heart. […] For the first three years, we played teams in Redwood City, Martinez, Livermore, Danville, all over, and we played in the mornings. After three years, we expanded to two teams, and then we just kept expanding over the years, until finally we had enough players to have our own league so we didn’t have to travel,” Farias said.
From then on out, the league continued expanding, reaching around 200 players in one season at its peak.
However, the longevity of the league was not maintained without challenges. In the last four years, their numbers in the 50 and over league have dropped, which Farias believes is due to people working longer and not retiring as early.
Moreover, the league has six commissioners to manage logistics. “About two years ago, we decided to bring in three younger people who were also now in their early 70s, but us older commissioners are in our 80s, and we want to try to get new blood to keep the league going, it’s a lot of work in doing the registration, getting people involved and setting up schedules,” Farias said.
This year, the organization will offer two leagues: the 50+ league and the 70+ league, and they’re open to both men and women. The draft will be on March 11 at 9:30 a.m., and new team practice will start on March 18 and 19. Games begin on March 25 and 26 at 9:30 a.m. at the Centennial Park in Hayward, with the 50+ League playing on Tuesdays and the 70+ League on Wednesdays.
The games are both competitive and beginner-friendly. “Number one priority is to make sure people don’t get hurt. You don’t run to the base; you can run to the side of the base so there’s no collision,” Farias said.
For those seeking to support the organization, there are many ways to help the league, even if you are not a player. “We are always looking for managers and assistant managers and people that will help with registration,” Farias said.
For more information, including league applications, visit hardseniorsoftball.com.
