Editing Softball (section)

====United States====
[[File:2014 WCWS Championship Series Game.jpg|thumb|2014 [[Women's College World Series]] Championship Series]]

In America, there are more than 1,500 college softball teams spanning five different levels: NCAA Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]], and NJCAA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How to Find the Right College Softball Team for You|url=https://www.ncsasports.org/softball/find-colleges#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%201%2C500,Division%203%2C%20NAIA%20and%20NJCAA.|access-date=2021-03-08|website=NCSA| date=22 March 2018 }}</ref> There are 5 professional softball teams: the Aussie Peppers, the Chicago Bandits, the Cleveland Comets, the California Commotion, and the Canadian Wild.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nation Pro Fastpitch|url=https://profastpitch.com/rosters/|url-status=usurped|access-date=2021-03-08|website=the National Pro Fastpitch|archive-date=2021-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301224828/https://profastpitch.com/rosters/}}</ref>

Competitive [[fastpitch softball]] for girls is growing increasingly popular.{{quantify|date=November 2017}} All over the US, there are thousands of teams that compete year-round at tournaments. During most of these tournaments the biggest goal is not winning the tournament, but attempting to get as many college coaches as possible to observe (a) particular player or players. Competitive teams are now beginning around eight years old, if not younger. Depending on the team they can travel all over the United States or even out of the country such as to Canada, the summer and fall for many weeks and days at a time.{{original research inline|date=November 2017}}

[[USA Softball|US Softball]] (founded in 1933 as Amateur Softball Association) is known as the national governing body of softball, one of the largest governing bodies for the game in the United States with over 240,000 teams, and sponsors annual sectional and World Series championships. The [[World Baseball Softball Confederation]] (WBSC) regulates rules of play in more than 110 countries, including the United States and Canada; before the WBSC was formed in 2013, the [[International Softball Federation]] (ISF) filled this role. The United States also has a competitive women's softball team that competes in international tournaments. They represented the US each time at the Olympics until softball was removed from the Olympics.<ref>{{cite web |title=USA Softball |url=http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615063047/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |access-date=2017-01-28 |website=Teamusa.org |format=PDF}}</ref> The USA Softball Men's Fast Pitch National Team has won five World Championships (1966, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1988) and three other medals. In the Pan-American Games, Team USA has made the finals in all seven appearances at the Games when Men's Fast Pitch was played.<ref>{{cite web |title=International Medal History; USA Softball |url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Team-USA/History/Mens-Fast-Pitch/International-Medal-History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010005937/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/Team-USA/History/Mens-Fast-Pitch/International-Medal-History |archive-date=2017-10-10 |access-date=2017-10-09 |website=teamusa.org}}</ref>

Other national and regional sanctioning bodies also exist, including: [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]], [[National Federation of State High School Associations|NFHS]], [[USSSA]], ISA, NSA, WSL, USFA, Triple Crown and SASL just to name a few. The USSSA, founded in 1968 as the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association, but renamed in 1997 to the United States Specialty Sports Association, is the only association that still has a men's major slow-pitch program alive. Currently, the USSSA program is run out of Viera, FL.