Who we are

Swindon Softball League is a friendly, gender inclusive slowpitch softball league based in Swindon, Wiltshire.

We are the only softball league in Wiltshire and feature a variety of different abilities from complete beginners to players on the Great Britain team, with leagues to cater for the competitive among us and those whose focus is on the fun and social aspect of the game. Regardless, and a trip to the pub after each game is a must!

We play on Monday and Thursday evenings throughout the spring and summer at The Deanery Academy in Swindon. This is usually May- August, depending on the schedule for the year.

We provide outdoor training at the same venue in April and September on Monday and Thursday evenings. We also usually train indoors between January to March on Thursday evenings, however the venue can vary depending on availability so please check the website for details. 

We are very welcoming to new players and teams and pride ourselves on this: we know how nerve-wracking taking up a new sport can be! We are here for everyone and we actively encourage people to come along and give it a go!  

As much as we would love to be able to introduce softball to younger players, we currently are only able to accept players aged 14 and over. We are looking at ways to introduce softball to players younger than this. As soon as we can, you will be able to read about it in our news page.

You can read more about what softball is here and why we play it here.


Our History

The Swindon Softball League was founded in 2002, though it has its roots in two other softball leagues and its history goes back a little further….

In 1986, American telecoms giant AT&T moved to Malmesbury and in 1988 AT&T employee Mark Bryant founded the AT&T Network Systems Interdepartmental League. The softball league flourished for the better part of a decade, peaking at 10 teams.

The league was played on the fields of Malmesbury High School and was soley an interdepartmental part of AT&T, until 1999 when nearby Dyson were asked to join the league. This was due to diminishing company participation as more and more of it’s people were moved to their office in Swindon in 1998 following AT&T’s change to Lucent Technologies two years prior. At this time, the league was renamed the Lucent League.

Meanwhile, in 2000, Swindon was getting it’s first taste of Softball. Nationwide employee Ian Luckhurst had recently transferred to the Nationwide Head Office there after working for the company in London since the mid 1990s.

Having entered a Nationwide softball team in the City Bankers Softball League since 1997, the team did not continue after Lucky moved to Swindon, so he brought all the equipment with him and set up training sessions at Nationwide Head Office in the summer of 2000.

After a successful recruitment drive and productive training sessions , Lucky formed a team from staff at Swindon’s Nationwide Head Office, called the Nationwide Blaze. By the spring of 2001, the team were ready and keen for some competition. They looked around and, at that time, the closest softball League was the Lucent League in Malmesbury.

The Nationwide Blaze joined the remaining Lucent teams and Dyson and entered the Lucent League in the summer of 2001, ultimately becoming champions. Sadly in the off season of 2001, in the midst of continuing job cuts/transfers at Lucent HQ, Malmesbury High School sold their playing fields for housing development and the the Lucent League folded.

On the 20th March 2002 during a now fateful meeting at The Steam Railway pub in Swindon, members of the remaining Lucent teams (now mostly based in the company’s office in Swindon), ex Lucent teams, the Nationwide Blaze , and new teams from Swindon-based companies Halcrow and the Early Learning Centre, got together to talk about forming a league in Swindon, splitting their playing time between Nationwide’s sport pavilion and Halcrow’s Buredrop Park. And, just like that, the Swindon Softball League was born.


Previous Swindon Softball League/Championship Division Winners

2022: Las Panteras
2021: Jaguars
2020: No Season (Covid-19)
2019: Las Panteras
2018: Aries
2017: Aries
2016: Las Panteras
2015: Panthers
2014: Panthers
2013: Panthers
2012: Panthers
2011: Cyclones
2010: Cyclones
2009: Cyclones
2008: Lucent Dodgers
2007: Lucent Dodgers
2006: Vodafone Heat
2005: Lucent Dodgers
2004: Lucent Dodgers
2003: Nationwide Blaze
2002: Nationwide Blaze

Previous Development Division Winners

2022: Hawks


Where we are now

Although a lot has changed since 2002, some of the original Nationwide Blaze and Lucent players still play in the League today.

The Swindon Softball League has hosted over 20 teams in its lifetime and has fluctuated from three to eight teams in a given season. The passion of its players to create and sustain a friendly and sociable softball League has kept the League going through the tougher times.

Currently sitting at a healthy 9 teams split over 2 divisions, Swindon Softball League openly welcomes new players and new teams as part of our quest to share softball with as many people as possible. We’d love to here from you! If you would like to play for us please contact us here


Our Values and Why We Play

We believe so strongly in softball we felt it was important that we dedicated a whole page to why we play, what we as a League stand for stand for and what you can expect from us.