Talented young baseball players from Cape Town are among South Africa’s rising stars heading to the world’s largest girls-only baseball tournament, but they need R60 000 each to make the trip possible.

Onabile Gxalaba (14) of Khayelitsha Giants and Eden Stellenboom (16) of the VOB team in Lansdowne are members of the Junior South African team preparing for the Baseball For All Nationals in Chicago, USA this July.

The tournament represents far more than just a competition; it’s being described as one of the biggest platforms to put South African women’s baseball on the world map. “South African women’s baseball has been growing in the last year and can become one of the most prolific sports,” said Bruce Benjamin, the team’s spokesperson.

The Chicago tournament, which coincides with the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup qualifiers, offers the girls a rare chance to compete internationally at an event connected to the launch of a women’s equivalent of major-league baseball in the United States.

Scouting opportunities await

The tournament also presents potential scouting opportunities, giving players a chance to be spotted by US major-league baseball women’s teams.

Bruce said South African baseball had “incredible facilities” and “fantastic club ethos”, but desperately needed more attention and support.

“It just needs a lot more eyes on it. The opportunity is so immense for them and to put us on the map, and hopefully it kicks back to the country so we can get more bodies into the game.”

But for families from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, raising the funds presents a major challenge.

“We are, like, R40 000 short,” said Karen Stellenboom, Eden’s mother. “We went to Uganda in January and needed to raise R22 000. So we are platsak (broke). There is no money, we are bled dry.”

Constant fundraising burden

Stellenboom described the ongoing struggle families face to fund their children’s sporting achievements. “The problem I have is that one’s family and friends are the ones that mostly help with the fundraising, but there’s just so much help they can give. Coming from Mitchells Plain, where fundraising is very difficult because most people live more or less the same way. So one feels bad taking their money.”

Both girls have been playing baseball for three years and credit the sport with teaching them valuable life lessons.

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“Baseball has taught me a lot because I get to experience lots of languages and races and other people as well,” said Onabile, who plays shortstop, second base and pitcher for her team.

Eden said the sport had taught her “to be patient and trust the process. If you work hard, it will really work out.”

Growing sport needs support

Sally Gxalaba, Onabile’s mother, highlighted the lack of institutional support despite the sport’s growth. “There is a federation, but we’re not getting any support. So we are looking for anything that can assist baseball so we can grow the sport.”

The challenge extends beyond individual families to the broader development of girls’ baseball in South Africa, where talented young athletes are emerging despite limited resources and funding.

Stellenboom made an emotional plea: “We need support from the government. It is so sad. The government doesn’t give these children anything. Shouldn’t the province give children from communities such as Mitchells Plain funding if they are to represent it, particularly abroad?”

While the team continues to hope for government support it is, meanwhile also looking to secure corporate sponsorship to help bridge the funding gap, according to Benjamin.

Anyone wishing to support them can contact him on 072 809 8802.