GALS HISTORY

Caldwell Girls’ Athletic League Softball, Inc. (GALS) is a non-profit organization created in 1983 to develop a summer softball program for Caldwell’s female youth. The purpose of GALS is to encourage the development of citizenship, friendship, sportsmanship, and leadership in the community through organized, safely equipped, and properly coached softball activities for female youth. GALS began as a cooperative effort between concerned parents and the Caldwell Parks and Recreation Department. Initially, the City of Caldwell subsidized the program financially and provided facilities for GALS use. GALS began play in 1983 with six teams under a slow-pitch format. In 1998, the format was changed to a fast-pitch game under Amateur Softball Association rules to keep pace with the changes in the game that were occurring across the country. In 2002, Parma Softball joined with GALS, bringing the total teams to 19. News about the league spread, and we have been growing ever since. Since 2011 to the present day, GALS has had, on average, seventy (70) Idaho and eastern Oregon fast pitch teams per year participate in the GALS summer league under Idahosoftball.com rules of play.

Over the past few years, with more competition, the GALS Board, coaches, umpires, and parents have noticed significant improvement in softball skills at all age levels, great teamwork developing, friendships developing between girls from different cities, and better sportsmanship throughout the league.

GALS is currently and has been for over 20 years a self-sufficient program that utilizes city-owned facilities but receives no public funding for its activities. All GALS Board members and coaches are volunteers. Games are scheduled at facilities in Caldwell, with games occasionally being played in Nampa, Homedale, or other outside facilities. Fields utilized by GALS include the Caldwell High School’s softball facility, Sage Valley Middle School, and the GALS Quad on Smeed Parkway. The Quad was created by a partnership between GALS, the City of Caldwell, and Major League Baseball’s charitable trust, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. The GALS Quad has been in use since 2004.