What Is GLASA?

   The Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, or GLASA, is a gay and lesbian softball league committed to providing an organization for both gay and non-gay participants to compete in an environment conducive to the gay community. Our league ranges from people that have never thrown a ball to the most competitive players in the nation.

GLASA has both Men's and Women's divisions, with over 55 teams participating in our Summer and Winter seasons. Our games are held on Sundays, and our seasons run from October through December for the Fall, and March through August for Summer. We provide an organization for people residing in the greater Los Angeles area to participate in an organized league. In addition to our two seasons of play, we also hold developmental clinics for the less experienced players to gain the basic skills before each season.

We are a member of NAGAAA, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, the governing body of gay softball. Created in 1977, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance is a non-profit, international organization comprised of men and women dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay community. NAGAAA was formed to encourage the participation of gay men and women in organized softball competition. Currently, 51 gay softball leagues in about 35 cities in the United States and Canada are members of NAGAAA. Teams representing these leagues participate in NAGAAA's Gay Softball World Series ("GSWS"), hosted each year by a different member city.

We have built a very rich softball tradition in Los Angeles, so please review our open and women's division history. We hope you will become a part of our future.

Open Division History

   Gay softball has its roots back in the late 70's, when in 1977 three gay teams from New York traveled to San Francisco to play in the first inter city competition. In 1978, Los Angeles, Toronto and Milwaukee joined the competition and our Los Angeles team was the crowned champion of the 1978 competition, in addition to the next three subsequent years.

In 1979, the number of teams interested in participating soared. A national organization was formed called NAGAAA, (North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance), to govern the many leagues participating in gay softball. The first women's team entered in the competition in 1979, coming from La Crosse, WI. The "World Series" as it is called today was first held in Los Angeles in 1980 and again in 1992.

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Women's Division History

   The Women's division began in the Fall, 1990. Rick Leon , the Commissioner of the Men's division had been collecting names of women who might be interested in playing softball since 1989 at the Christopher Street West festival. The problem was that there weren't any women in the league who could contact the 125+ names on those lists. The first clinic was held at Poinsettia Park on September 9, 1990.

We were able to put together 4 teams: Strike Zone, Second Base, Outta this League and Batteries Not Included. The first game was held on Sunday, October 14, 1990. Originally the league was considered mainly recreational, however several players expressed an interest in having something a little more competitive.

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