Fantastic NKLL 2024

What a fine NK Little League 2024 we had at Whitsun again. All participants and fans loved it! And the host clubs can look back with justified pride on a fantastic weekend. They did a wonderful job with all their volunteers! Many thanks for that!

This year the NKLL was captured beautifully by three photographers:

• D-Fotografie
• Line Drive Pictures
• Christopher Anasagasti More photos in the 2024 photo gallery ↗(opens in a new tab) and on their own Facebook pages.

Below the three venues share their experiences in a short report each.

HSV Gryphons

(Baseball Intermediates and Seniors)

Over the Whitsun weekend Sportpark De Groote Wielen was given over to the Dutch Little League Championship, hosted by HSV Gryphons for the Intermediates and Seniors categories. Despite changeable weather and challenging conditions, the teams and the field crew did their utmost to keep all the games running to schedule. That produced a weekend of spectacular baseball that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

The tournament began on Saturday with the first games and built in tension towards the big finals on Monday. Over those three days we saw impressive performances from young talents, underlining once again the level of Dutch youth baseball. The commitment and perseverance of everyone involved, from players and coaches to the indispensable volunteers, made for an unforgettable event.

In the Intermediates and Seniors categories, both played at Gryphons, the two teams from Rotterdam ultimately claimed the coveted championship titles. The semi-finals on Monday morning were already nail-bitingly tense, but the finals exceeded all expectations. With their excellent teamwork, strategic plays and relentless energy, the Rotterdam teams crowned themselves deserved winners of the tournament. The Respect The Game Award went once again to the intermediates of Team Noord. For HSV Gryphons it was an honour to host this part of the NK Little League.

BSC Almere

(all Softball)

A great success and a particularly fine tournament at Whitsun at Baseball & Softball Club Almere. Nineteen teams! Three divisions. Under twelve, fourteen and sixteen years old. Littles, Juniors and Seniors. For the first time in history there was a softball team from the North league. De Meiden van het Noorden had their first NK Little League experience. And they were voted the most enjoyable, most sociable and most sporting team and received the Respect The Game Award afterwards! What a lovely icing on the cake!

More than two hundred players and dozens of coaches were in action on the 5 softball fields. Not to mention the many fans who came to Almere to cheer the teams on! It turned into a magnificent softball celebration! With a nicely and cheerfully laid out food and drink square.

For three days there was plenty of youth softball to enjoy. The tournament atmosphere. Beautiful weather! Top games and phenomenal commitment kept the many supporters gripped across all 3 days. Delicious snacks, drinks, ice creams and tasty bites also made for a warm atmosphere. Softball gear, raffle tickets and nice prizes in support of our national youth softball teams. All characteristic of the NK Little League tournament in Almere. And that for the third edition in a row. After three superb final games with a few nerve-racking finishes, the successful teams were:

• Littles: Pink Panters
• Juniors: Brabant Bandits
• Seniors: Kennemerland Congratulations!

Best of luck at the European championships in Poland and the Czech Republic, girls. Many thanks to the Little League staff, all the umpires and the many club volunteers of BSC Almere. From clubhouse, bar, kitchen, field crew and cleaners to the scorebox crew and first aid team — in short,

everyone who contributed to another beautiful and memorable event. On to Little League 2025!

For all the softball results and final standings see https://nklittleleague.nl/nk-2024/

Hoofddorp Pioniers

(Baseball Littles and Juniors)

It is Saturday morning, 18 May. The fields are ready at Hoofddorp Pioniers, more than 60 enthusiastic volunteers are in the starting blocks, the umpires have arrived, the first players walk onto the grounds under the brightly coloured arch of balloons, a handful of coaches have already reported to the tournament office and, not unimportantly, the weather forecast for Hoofddorp looks better than expected this weekend.

A core group of volunteers worked extremely hard to make this event an unforgettable experience once again, for the third year in a row. And in our view all of us together (volunteers, players, coaches, umpires and supporters) succeeded once again. We saw fine, exciting baseball from the littles and the juniors, played baseball5, won nice prizes in the raffle and, above all, experienced a good, sporting atmosphere.

One goosebump moment was when all 18 teams gathered on the main field during the opening: a colourful collection of teams in brightly coloured shirts, all reciting the Little League pledge loudly and full of enthusiasm. We also got goosebumps from a number of speeches by coaches, given at the moment the tournament sadly ended for them: so moving and special to see how these coaches managed to turn the players’ disappointment into pride, so that they all left the field with their heads held high and could look back on an enjoyable, fine and sporting tournament.

The Respect The Game Award, again made available this year by Playball Europe, was won by the Littles of East Pro's.

And of course there were victories too, with two teams eventually travelling to the European championship: Rotterdam with the littles and Kennemerland with the juniors. Sorrow and joy were once again very close together this weekend. After three intense but tremendously enjoyable days, we in Hoofddorp look back on a highly successful Little League tournament of the finest sport there is!

all winners 2024

Baseball: Little League: Rotterdam Intermediate League: Rotterdam Junior League: Kennemerland Senior League: Rotterdam

Softball: Little League: Pink Panthers Junior League: Brabant Bandits Senior League: Kennemerland

Respect The Game Award:

Rosmalen: Intermediates Team Noord Hoofddorp: Littles East Pro’s Almere: Juniors Meiden van het Noorden

Regionals (European championships) 2024

This year the Regionals (European championships) are played in Poland (Baseball and Softball Littles), the Czech Republic (Baseball Juniors and Intermediates and Softball Juniors and Seniors) and Italy (Baseball Seniors). The teams are preparing for them now. For the Softball Juniors of Kennemerland, who took second place after a very tense final, there is an extra spot in the Czech Republic this year. They get to take part in the Regionals as well.

We wish all the teams lots of fun and success!!

Baseball

Little League Baseball 14 – 21 July, Kutno, Poland

Intermediate Baseball 24 – 29 June, Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic

Junior League Baseball 7 – 15 July, Chocen, Czech Republic

Senior League Baseball 1-7 July, Novara, Italy

Softball

Little League Softball 29 June – 2 July, Kutno, Poland

Junior League Softball 10 – 14 July, Ostrava, Czech Republic

Senior League Softball 10 – 14 July, Ostrava, Czech Republic