When Rob Atkinson and I pushed to enter a team from Castleknock into the Premier division, there were a few things we needed to do differently.

First, we were going to commit to playing at a high level. That’d include practicing (what?), showing up on time (another rare event in our league), quite simply taking things we do, in regard to softball, seriously. No longer would it be a laissez-faire model of having a bit of fun and just showing up whenever.

Second, we wanted to build something better through action, not just words. So much of our softball experience is a lot of talking and very little doing, with not much done to encourage everyone to participate in a fair and honest way, with integrity. We quickly realized an easy way to reintroduce some fairness is to always play with 5 women and 5 men (“5&5”), instead of a local-league-bylaw-adjusted literal man advantage, allowing 6 men and 4 women. Not only would this be more equal (obviously), it would make us a stronger and more complete set of players, and a better team, win or lose.

This second point becomes important when historically the reason for ever varying from the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rules in the first place (which required a strict 5&5 lineup) was to allow teams who were unable to recruit enough women players, to continue to field a team.

But how in the hell does allowing a team to play with a stronger lineup – literally a man advantage – ever encourage them to play with an equal (and weaker) lineup? Why would you bring a knife to a gunfight, if your opponent is playing 6&4, what encouragement is there to fielding 5&5 if it puts you at an immediate disadvantage? HINT: you wouldn’t (play 5&5), and there isn’t (any encouragement to play 5&5).

I had a brainwave roughly one month before the 2022 season: since there was no expectation our local league (Softball Leinster) would ever remove that ridiculous bylaw to allow 6&4, I came up with a wonderful little addition to reward a team for recruiting women and playing them in equal numbers to men: if your team has a gender ratio M:F of 1 or less (meaning, 5&5, or better, more women than men), and your opponent has a gender ratio M:F of >1 (meaning, 6&4), then you are awarded one additional run per inning. This would give a team playing with gender equality a 7-run bonus per game, when playing against a team with a literal man advantage.

Now there’s an encouragement to go find, and put onto the field, that 5th woman. What better way to bring gender equality back into the sport? If “recruitment” of women is a problem, you can still play, only now there’s no advantage to it.

Of course, the league shit a kitten. I’m sure they thought this would go over like a lead balloon, but to their dismay, when team captains were presented with this idea at a pre-season meeting, there was full support of the measure. (At least, that’s what was outwardly expressed; maybe they all privately were cursing us.)

Again unsurprisingly, when the league was called upon to act, they choked. While saying, “we are 100% behind the motivation for the return to full co-ed softball”, they chose to do nothing to change the status quo. Yet again, “a mouth can say anything” but it takes some guts to act.

That’s when I decided we’d draw a line in the sand: as Bearcats team captain (“management”), the declaration was made that we would only field a 5&5 team for the 2022 season (or 5&4 shorthanded with an automatic out for the missing woman, which our local bylaws also allow).

This is also when other members of the Castleknock Softball Club – players on another team with which we were associated, by agreement and not by any Constitution or defined roles – totally lost their minds. “A bit disappointed” really meant “we’re fucking livid you didn’t ask our permission first!”, when considering the patriarchal attitudes of those who’d rather manipulate issues to their advantage surreptitiously and without documentation, instead of tackling issues directly, transparently, and according to established procedures.

The scene is set: one side, working hard to maintain a perception of power over others, and interested only in maintaining the status quo, is now incensed with the other side, who are taking matters into their own hands through direct action, to create an environment of integrity, transparency and accountability, and bring true gender equality back to softball, win or lose.

This ends the first chapter in what will unfold as a multi-faceted web of deceit and subterfuge, going well beyond this initial disagreement, that will ultimately end in a very messy divorce. As always, “the rest of the story” of how we finally get there, will be an interesting tale of woe and tragedy… but ultimately a happy ending.