Seattle's premier LGBTQIA+ softball league, the Emerald City Softball Association (ECSA), is kicking off its 44th season starting this Sunday, April 2 at 9 a.m. at North SeaTac Park.
Featuring 27 teams across five divisions of competition, the ECSA has become an excellent space for members of our community to create and nurture relationships with each other. Founded in 1980 by local Gay athletes that were simply trying to have fun and expand their social circles, the ECSA has grown into one of the largest LGBTQIA+ leagues in the country.
The ECSA is governed by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), a national athletic body that unites member cities. It hosts the Gay Softball World Series every fall to determine the best Queer softball teams in the nation.
The ECSA is focused on inclusivity and growing its diverse member base to better serve the community. Membership includes players in their twenties all the way up into their late sixties. Teams have Gay men, Lesbians, Trans men and women, Nonbinary players, and straight allies across all divisions of the league. Each weekend, 30 games featuring over 400 players are conducted, helping us find each other while sprinkling in a friendly dose of competition.
Beyond softball, the ECSA does its best to be a pillar of the community, focusing on using its platform to fundraise for a chosen LGBTQIA+ charity each season. Last year, the league donated $10,000 to the Gender Justice League, choosing it due to the ever-increasing threats Trans people are facing.
One of the most popular events on the league calendar is the yearly drag pageant, used to fundraise and cover league costs. I'm a former participant myself, as a representative of the Seattle Squadron — and using the event to take a leap of faith and show the world my true self. Without ECSA's drag pageant, I might still have been in the closet today. (This year's pageant will take place on June 3, time and location to be determined.)
While the league itself is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization — one of the largest LGBTQIA+ charities in the state of Washington — it is also currently supported by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle & the Olympic and Rainier Empire, and is hoping to find more organizations to help financially support the league to further its goal of expanding its membership.
The ECSA season runs from April 2 through June 10, playing games every Sunday at North SeaTac Park. A day at the ballfield is an excellent way to meet members of your community that you otherwise might not, and you'll get to see many of your peers pulling off impressive feats of athleticism. After the games, join the teams for Sunday Funday, a social event for the entire league, rotating through bars sponsoring ECSA teams.
For further information about the league, email commissioner Jon Ericson at [email protected]