Lessons from Softball Forli to Shape Our Future

Introduction to Sandstorm Helsinki Softball Club

Founded in 2021, Sandstorm Helsinki Softball Club has faced the typical challenges of being the ‘first’ of its kind. The journey to establish a club in a sport that is not yet popular locally is rarely straightforward, and our growth has been slower than we initially hoped. Building a solid foundation demands time, effort, and—most importantly—a dedicated group of people with shared goals. Thankfully, we now have a team that is committed to making a real impact to build up a softball community in Finland.

Photo Credits: Softball Forli / Flavia Zanchini

Key Insights from Forli Softball

Since the club was founded, we’ve made steady progress, taking small but promising steps that show clear growth potential. Each year, we’ve seen our active player base increase, and interest in the club continues to rise. It’s encouraging to receive more inquiries each season through our social media channels from people eager to join our growing community. We also were fortunate enough for the opportunity to job shadow the coaches and club organizers in Forli as part of the Erasmus+ project this Fall. The group travel experience allowed us to share knowledge across various members of our organization, reinforcing our collective understanding of what it takes to grow a softball club effectively.

An insightful moment during our visit came when Forli’s Head Coach posed a question to us that has stayed with me: ‘How do we build a club that we can look back on proudly years from now, saying, “We built that” with a smile on our faces?’ He emphasized that we should focus on creating a sustainable organization—one that thrives even after we’re no longer playing on the field. We discussed possibilities to promote the club among kids and what has worked and not worked in different European countries. After that, we discussed strategies to improve with the current group of players we have, emphasizing the importance of thinking ahead to the future as well.

Core Values and Future Goals

Today, Sandstorm Helsinki Softball Club welcomes players of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels. What unites us is a shared passion for learning and growing in the sport, along with a willingness to receive constructive feedback. Equally important is for every club member to respect their fellow players and coaches. These key values are essential to ensure we have a good team environment in a softball club. This foundation of values is one topic we discussed with Forli Softball’s coaches during our exchange. Forli Softball has managed to create such a positive and supportive team environment that shows on the field and enables Forli to be one of the top-performing softball clubs in Europe. They are an excellent model for Sandstorm to look up to.

As we grow and develop groups of different levels in our club, from beginners to advanced and more serious players, we want to keep our foundational values intact. One of my biggest takeaways was the need for Sandstorm Helsinki to develop a mission statement that defines our dual purpose—both for the present and the future. Without a clear direction and sense of purpose, it’s easy for members to lose interest over time. In the past, some participants have drifted away, likely due to our limited growth due to lack of practice space or lack of opportunities to play in organized games. Reflecting on these past challenges, it’s become clearer that having a shared mission can help keep us all motivated and aligned.

In past years, we have not had enough players on our team, nor from other baseball/softball clubs to organize regular games. In the past, we practiced for 9-12 months with the goal of simply improving and having fun, often without a tournament or game to look forward to. This is something we will work on in 2025 – to gain more game experience as a team, and also at the individual level. We also want to develop more structure in our training program.

With immediate goals in mind, we wish to develop softball players who want to compete at higher levels and welcome beginners and new players to learn softball in a fun and international-friendly environment. Additionally, we hope to begin attracting interest in the sport of softball among kids, who will one day make up the future of our club. This will take time to get younger players involved, but we can already start in small ways.

Moving Forward Together

In the coming weeks, our management team will be working to create a document that clearly communicates our purpose and goals to both existing and new members. Leveraging the valuable insights and connections gained from Forli, we aim to refine how our club is structured, managed, and promoted.

Thank you Forli Softball for the fruitful discussions, and I look forward to continued collaboration!