PLANT CITY, FL -International Softball Federation (ISF) President Don Porter announced details of the ISF Hall of Fame & Museum, to be located at the current facility in Plant City.

"This project has been part of our plans since we came here just over four years ago," Mr. Porter said. "As an international organization, our business brings visitors to Plant City from all over the world, be it for meetings, clinics, tournaments, or other functions. Now we can give the attention due our Hall of Fame members and showcase our sport and its rich history to tourists, business colleagues, umpires, coaches, athletes, and area residents."

Work is expected to begin later this year, with a target opening of summer 2005. Being designed by Atelier Architecture Engineering Construction Incorporated of Tampa, Florida, the Hall of Fame and Museum will honor the 111 members and also feature interactive exhibits, videos, historic photos, and much more. The space where it will go will be converted from its current use as a storage area for all the new and used softball equipment items that the ISF’s Development Department uses to send to developing softball countries around the world.

The Hall of Fame and Museum, approximately 5,500 square feet, will be the newest part of an already impressive complex. Of all 35 Olympic sports (winter and summer combined), softball is the only one to have its world headquarters located in the United States. The building that houses the ISF offices at 1900 South Park Road is situated between Plant City Stadium, which seats almost 7,000, and the Randy L. Larson Softball Fourplex, which sees all four of its fields used along with that of the main stadium during events such as the World University Softball Championship, which will take place in just under fourth months (October 26-31). Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds held spring training at the Plant City site in the 1990s.

A total of 111 people have been elected to the ISF Hall of Fame, with the first group having been named in 1981. While induction ceremonies did take place in each electee’s country, their presence in the Hall has been visible only through the ISF’s official website, which lists bios for each of the 111 recipients along with their photo.

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Softball (women’s fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 124 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com, (813) 864-0100, ext. 229.