No person has meant more to men’s fastpitch in BC and the Canada West International Softball Congress Region over the past 20+ years than Craig Donaldson. He was a titan of our sport whose absence has left a giant void in our community.
raig held the title of League President in the BC Premier League and Vancouver Premier League from 2001-2008. In 2009, Craig helped lead a merger of the Premier League and the South Fraser Fastpitch Union (League) and remained President until retiring in 2018. “League President” does not do justice to all that Craig did as a leader. He built the schedule, managed disputes, liaised with umpires, oversaw the health and safety of all participants, scorekept, maintained stats, and more. He did it all with a love and passion for the game that was unmatched and a calm, smooth demeanor that made him so likeable.
Craig Donaldson joined the ISC in 2002 as a Regional Commissioner in Canada West. Under his leadership, teams from Canada West took a renewed interest in the ISC which had waned after Victoria hosted in 1997. Vancouver Grey Sox were a mainstay in the ISC for the 2000s decade, taking up the mantle from Victoria as the top BC representative. Craig was instrumental in gaining ISC participation from several native Canadian teams from western Canada, including teams from Prince George, BC, Horse Lake, AB and Ochapowace, SK to name only a few.
For the eight years prior to his untimely passing in 2021, Craig served as VP and Director for the World Tournament, responsible for the scheduling, bracket and oversight for the event as a whole. Hours upon hours went into the scheduling every year to meet the sometimes conflicting needs of the teams, host committee and broadcast schedule. In 2014, Craig led the ISC project to adapt online digital scoring. He researched several options before selecting Pointstreak, which has provided the ISC and our fans with both live game scoring and a digital statistical archive that started in 2015. Craig was also our International liaison. Over the years, Craig helped to bring club teams from Argentina and Venezuela to compete in the ISC World Tournament. In his role as commissioner, Craig also spearheaded the recognition of players and contributors from the Canada West region for inclusion in the ISC Hall of Fame.
The hours he put into our sport are immeasurable and his impact brought so much joy to so many that love the sport. Hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans have Craig to thank for the years of ball played as a result of Craig’s dedication to leagues, tournaments and the sport as a whole. Craig was a one-of-a-kind asset to the game of fastball/fastpitch softball. Many BC players got their first exposure to top calibre ball due to Craig. Craig was inducted into the BC Softball Hall of Fame in 2021.
He will be missed within the game on a scale from local to international.