Philadelphia Force
Encyclopedia
| Philadelphia Force | |
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| Founded | 2006 |
| Folded | 2010? |
| Ballpark | ECTB Stadium at Bicentennial Park Bicentennial Park (Allentown) Bicentennial Park is a stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park, officially named Earl F. Hunsicker Bicentennial Park, is primarily used for baseball and softball.... |
| Based in | Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently... |
| Colors | Navy blue, red, Columbia blue, white |
| League | National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch , formerly the Women's Pro Softball League , is the only professional women's softball league in the United States. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001. The NPF revived the league in 2004 and currently features four teams: USSSA Pride, Akron Racers, Chicago... |
| Head coach | Jeff Franquet |
| General manager | Tom Kleinman |
The Philadelphia Force was/is a women's professional softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
. From 2006 to 2009 it played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch , formerly the Women's Pro Softball League , is the only professional women's softball league in the United States. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001. The NPF revived the league in 2004 and currently features four teams: USSSA Pride, Akron Racers, Chicago...
(NPF) league until a failed sales in September of 2009 but the team's future is in question and is still undecided. Their home games took place at ECTB Stadium at Bicentennial Park.
History
The Philadelphia Force's inaugural season was in 2006. Two years later, the Force played in the National Pro Fastpitch championship, but were defeated by the Chicago BanditsChicago Bandits
The Chicago Bandits are a women's professional softball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. Since the 2005 season, they have played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch . The Bandits won the 2008 NPF championship, defeating the Washington Glory in the final game of the championship series...
.
One of the most prominent veterans of the Force is Natasha Watley
Natasha Watley
Natasha Watley is an American professional softball player currently with the USA Softball Women’s National Team. She plays the position of shortstop and first base, and helped her team to win the gold medal for softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens...
, who also played in international competition with the United States women's national softball team
United States women's national softball team
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. She joined the team in 2006, but her time with the Force was limited by national team commitments.
The Philadelphia Force in hiatus til 2011