ASAPHIL to tap young talents for softball team

MANILA, Philippines –  The Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (Asaphil) will be fielding in a pair of young squads in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia where the Blu Boys and Blu Girls are the defending champions.

The new Asaphil board, headed by sports patron and president Jean Henri Lhuillier, said focus will be on the youth with Cebuana Lhuillier backing the Philippine team’s campaign in the Easton Foundation Youth World Cup at the International Softball Federation’s world headquarters complex in Plant City, Florida.

The 16-and-under girls’ fast-pitch tournament has lured 23 teams from eight countries.

“Our team trained for one and a half months for this tournament. We are geared towards helping them gain international exposure to better prepare them for future tournaments,” said coach Randy Dizer, Asaphil VP for Luzon.

Other backers of the team are Bobby Pasco, Rolly Rivera and the International League of Manila parents.

“Asaphil will be coming up with its nationwide softball programs at the grassroots level among the youth to discover and develop local softball talents early on. Our support for the Philippine team in the Easton Foundation Youth World Cup is one way to determine the level of our performance internationally,” said Lhuillier.