Women's International Baseball in Rockford - World Cup, WBSC, BFA & AAGPBL

Ryan Woodward IWBC interview June 10 2026
WIB Women In Baseball

 Narrator: 
 Welcome to a Special edition of Women in Baseball on BaseballBiz On Deck. This week Ryan Woodward sits down with Mark and shares the excitement of baseball in Illinois this summer covering, Women's International Baseball Cup Stage Group, Baseball for All Nationals tournament and the All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion, all unfolding this summer in Rockford, Illinois. 
 So lets get started!!!

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome to Baseball Biz On Deck. I'm Mark Corbett, your host. I'd like to welcome a very special friend of mine, Ryan Woodward. Ryan has been very helpful for me when I was trying to learn a little bit more about women in baseball, and part of that is by seeing some of the things that he's done. Uh, he was a creator of Women in Baseball Week, which is probably the first way I, I met him, learning more about the game.

And then also I know he has the Women's Heritage Baseball Trail, which is a great way to discover all these historical sites across the US that have some historical meaning with women in baseball. And the part we're gonna talk about today is he's also the project coordinator for the International Women's Baseball Center in Rockford, Illinois.

Welcome, Ryan. How are you doing, my friend? 

Ryan Woodward: I am doing good. Busy, , it keeps getting busier, , every, every time we talk- ... um, which is every couple months, yeah, all good stuff, and happy to be here. 

Mark Corbett: Well, my friend, it is something because I am looking at women's [00:01:00] baseball, and while we're talking about it, I am seeing June and July and August and all this is going to explode.

And in looking in in July especially in Rockford, Illinois, where you're, you're going to be working with a very special event, and I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about that. 

Ryan Woodward: Sure. Illinois all over is women's baseball central this summer, right? , Everyone's anticipating the pro league starting in, , August in Springfield, but before that in Rockford, truly the last week of Rockford, last week of July in Rockford is quite busy.

We are hosting the World Group stage for the Women's Baseball World Cup. , And as we've talked about before, the World Cup happens every couple of years, and what they do now is have two qualifying stages the year before the finals. So Rockford, Illinois, was awarded one of those group stages, and, , fun fact, we're actually awarded the finals for next year, too.

. So yeah, a couple months [00:02:00] ago,, this project went from being a one-year commitment to a two-year commitment, which is really cool. , Honestly, it sounds like twice as much work, but , if you can pull together this group stage, , there's not, I don't think, too much heavy lifting to turn right around and host the finals.

You know, it's the same number of teams that come. You still have the same venues that you're dealing with, and, , we have the same partners across the area, , local but also not local. , But it's been a huge help. So that has been pretty much all we've been doing here. We had a final site visit with the, , World Baseball Softball Confederation last month.

It went very well. , That was exciting, too, 'cause we're putting on one Olympic event here. We're gonna have international teams, , here , for a week, and at the same time, as we've talked about before, Baseball For All nationals tournament is returning to Rockford this year.

It was here- Oh, wow ... about 10 years ago for a couple of years. Um, they are back. I think they're bringing something like [00:03:00] 700 girls across several age divisions to play right next door to Rivet Stadium, where we're hosting our games, at, , the Park District Sports Core Two, and the All American Girls, , Baseball League reunion is also happening here in Rockford at the same time.

So it's really exciting in that you're gonna have generations of ballplayers all interacting. They're all doing their own thing, but they're all gonna be... There's gonna be opportunities for them to interact and, like, see each other play and be honored at different events. Um, it's gonna be a crazy week, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Mark Corbett: Well, I gotta tell you, Ryan, I, I, I don't know what to think. I was thinking the only thing that would really be go- the only thing, would be going on would be the world's, baseball, groups stage. But I mean, you've got the All Americans are gonna be in town and Baseball For All, all that?

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, next year should be, you know, easy-peasy then . 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah, yeah. That's the hope. , I'm really excited about it though, um, that we've [00:04:00] already... We're coordinating now, especially, , putting just fine details on schedules and things like that. Yeah. So, you know, there, there will be a night where the, the reunion plans to be at one of the games, and um, so it's just, it's gonna be really cool to have them there in the audience watching the national team, probably having some younger players from Baseball For All joining us too.

Um, just everybody in one space like that is, is pretty remarkable. 

Mark Corbett: Well, as a fan of the game, I wanna say thank you for, for working and making this things, you know, come to fruition soon. I, I can't wait to come there and s- and see it all. It's, it's gonna be a exciting time, my friend. 

Ryan Woodward: Very much, yeah. , And we're in the f- everyone asks me this, you know, and just, you know, "Are you, are you going crazy right now?

How's it going?" Um, honestly, and this is... I mean, it's a little jokey, but honestly, we're kind of past the point where you can worry about it too much. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Ryan Woodward: You know? It's, it's gonna happen in a few weeks. And, , all you can really do at this [00:05:00] point is just be as prepared as possible. And then, , you'll learn pretty quick the things that don't work out, and you make adjustments.

But, um- I'm excited for it. Some updates, if you want them, that we probably haven't talked about before. We do have the game schedule. , A few weeks ago we got the game, the official game schedule for our group stage. , Every team does play every day. I know a lot of people ask- Mm ... what, what day should they buy tickets for.

All six teams will play every day. There's games, , at 11:00 AM, games at 3:00 PM, and games at 7:00 PM. So they rotate the schedule about who plays when, although the, uh, Team USA will be playing, I think, every night game, every 7:00 PM game during the week, , 'cause they will be the hometown favorites.

Hometown as in United States. Um, but more people will probably come out for the night games after work, so that's the reasoning behind that. So yeah, there's really reasonable day [00:06:00] passes too, where you could see , all three games in a day. So if people are planning on coming for just one day, I recommend getting that day pass.

If you don't go to all the games, it's not a big deal. , But you can, and it's not that much more than if you just wanted to get an individual game ticket. So you can find that schedule on our website, , iwbc.org. Um, we have a whole World Cup page dedicated to the schedule, how to volunteer, things like that, and you can find the schedule on there.

The second update I wanted to share with everybody is this Friday, , which is June 12th, the media accreditation, , like application process goes live on the website. And you do this through the WBSC. You'll basically be linked to their portal, , to try to get your, , credentials for media and things like that.

, People can send us questions about it, and it'll be open through July 17th. So you have just over a month to, , fill out the forms and get [00:07:00] your credentials request in. But that's another thing that a lot of people have asked us about, and, , I'm happy to say , we've arrived at that moment. And yeah, Friday, , people will have, , all weekend and really the whole month to, to work on that and make those requests.

Mark Corbett: Wow. I've, I've gotta tell you, I am so excited about this. In the past, , it's been Thunder Bay, Canada. And quite honestly, there was no way I was going to be able to think to travel all the way there to, to see those games. So I was fortunate enough to have the, have that televised. But to have the opportunity here in the US to be able to go and see these f- these women, I mean, we're talking Olympic-level players, you know, play baseball and- It's, it's going to be a, a great moment for anybody who enjoys the game.

And to think simultaneously that you've got the, the women of t- who's, who will be coming up in the Baseball For All, and like you were saying also, the legends with the All [00:08:00] Americans, that to me is just amazing to think all that's coming together in one place. But I, I can't thank you and the others enough for doing that.

Now, could you remind me again, the site that we need to go to purchase tickets again? 

Ryan Woodward: Oh, sure. Um, so tickets for this, for World Cup games, it's through Eventbrite. But you can also go to our website, iwbc.org, and um, there'll be links to how to get tickets there.

And it's really easy. It's all laid out, you know, day to day, or if you wanna get the entire tournament package or you wanna get a day pass, um, all those options will be available on there. And if people have trouble with this, you just reach out to us and we'll get you pointed in the right direction, but all this is really easy to use.

And I wanna make a call too for volunteers. We still have volunteer spots, , available. We've purposely created probably more than we need, 'cause better to have too many than too few. , But you can find volunteer information too on [00:09:00] our website through the same web address, iwbc.org. And , this is gonna be everything from just people at the games taking tickets, doing, usher-type duties, but also,, Beyer Stadium's gonna be in play, , not for official World Cup games, but you know, the former home of the Rockford Peaches, , there's gonna be some practices held out there.

There might be some exhibition games out there, and, we need volunteers for that too, , just to take care of things and, assist the teams when they come there, and whatever they might need. Um, it's just gonna be a very ... It's a very pretty strict schedule they're on, but that kind of demands that there be a tight schedule and, you know, strict guidelines of how we do things.

And you can't do that without volunteers. And Rockford always turns up, , any time we have events like this, , although we've never had events quite like this, you know? Major international tournament for women's baseball here. But, , they are showing [00:10:00] up. They are signing up for, for all the different spots.

But, um, I encourage everybody just to take a look at it, see if something interests you. , There'll be all kinds of, , volunteer trainings and meetings ahead of time just so everybody knows what, what to do and where to be. But, , it's another great way to get involved. It's a great way to kind of give back, and then you get in close to the action too, you know, when you're volunteering for these events.

So, , don't be shy about volunteering for, World Cup duties, , Baseball For All and the All Americans, I can't speak to that. They're also having their own events. Um- Wow. I've tried to list a lot of these on my Women in Baseball Week site, , just 'cause I try to list anything I can find for women or girls in baseball on there.

But you can also go to their sites, , Baseball For All, or search out, , aagpbl.org, and they should have information about their, their dedicated events that they're hosting during the week. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. Well, I said after all this hard work, I'm glad [00:11:00] to see that you have a template for next year as well. Yeah, but it's, uh, a lot of good people are gonna make this happen.

I know you and several others have gotten to this point, but volunteers, pay attention. You know, Ryan has given you the information as far as where you can go to do that, and also where to get tickets. So Ryan, is, is there anything else you wanna share with folks? 

Ryan Woodward: Uh, absolutely. On top of all of this, , 'cause I just mentioned Beyer Stadium, legendary home of the Rockford Peaches, , it, a mile down the street from my house.

That's another thing I think we've talked about before in terms of the Heritage Trail that I never quite anticipated that would be the case. Um, you know, I just wanted to visit it one day, and next thing you know, I'm doing this work and living here, and , it's quite literally down the street from my house.

Beyer has undergone, , a lot of renovation over the past, , oh geez, probably nine months, and I'm very excited about this. We are having a grand reopening of Beyer, , scheduled for, it [00:12:00] is next weekend. It's June 20th, Saturday, here in Rockford, Illinois. , Maybelle Blair should be there because, you know- Oh, wow

the, um, the whole operation, a lot with her help and influence, got a lot of the, , renovations, , done. So, and we joke about it too, because it's a lot of, um, unsexy things when you're talking to people about. You know, we have lights out there now. , But the, the space didn't have lights for, you know, at least 40 years.

Um, we have- Wow ... a very level outfield, which we didn't quite have before, and there's a scoreboard now and a press box and a PA system and a proper, , irrigation system. All of this, , was necessary if we were going to have serious events out there. Everybody wants to play at the legendary ballpark, and I don't blame them.

It's like going to the Field of Dreams or some other, places like that for a lot of people. , But the field just wasn't in the best condition, and then there's a lot of these things you legally have [00:13:00] to have, you know, if you wanna have- Yeah ... even high school, college games out there. So, none of this would allow us to host the World Cup games there, - Right

we're certainly, there's interest with every national team to host some kind of event out there or have a practice on this space because it is a, a very sacred space for a lot of people. Yeah. So we are celebrating all of that. , Construction is just wrapping up now, so is , this is a good sort of kickoff too that it's about a month away from, you know, the World Cup, so.

Mark Corbett: Well, I'm glad you're all able to revitalize it and, uh, give it a new life because so many of those parks, historic ones, disappear. Here in Tampa, Al Lopez Park. Mm-hmm. You know, he's like the first major leaguer from this area. He was honored with that park. Uh, minor leagues played there, spring training played there, and, and now it's part of a parking lot.

And it's, it's, it's, uh, it's not unique in that. So when I hear something like [00:14:00] what you guys have done with Beyer, and that to me is encouraging again. I probably use that word a lot, but when I'm thinking about what you guys are doing, it is. Uh, it's one of those things for a lot of us to see opportunities maybe in our own neck of the woods to do something.

But I'm glad you're all doing that, and with Maybelle as well, 'cause, , she is legendary

Ryan Woodward: and you know, she's expected to be there, and she's 99 years old, and she's got more energy than most of us put together. Um, but that's where, that's where our encouragement comes from, right? You wanna make these things happen.

You wanna honor that. Even if former fields that are now parking lots, I'm all for stick up the historical marker. You know? Yeah. Have some kind of event, have any kind of commemorative thing you can, because, um, it's what my heritage trail is all about. It's about finding those spaces and celebrating those spaces, and that's, that's what this is gonna do too.

Any time I'm at Beyer for some reason, , I'm out there just checking on things or [00:15:00] putting something in storage, it's still work, but there's always somebody else out there just taking a picture of the ticket booth or, the plaques that they have around. And half the time these people are from out of town.

Sometimes they're from out of the country. , People have an affinity for this team, whether it's through the movie, the show, or the actual history of the space, and they wanna see it. It's, it's iconic, that ticket booth, just to see the ticket booth with the big peaches sign on it. And, um, it attracts people, so, like, you have to, you have to dedicate some effort to giving that place the attention it deserves.

Yeah. So that's why I'm excited about it. People who are fans of All-American history, , this was one of only two teams, , here Rockford and South Bend, that lasted the entire duration of the league. But then Rockford also has this leg up in that this was the only field used all 12 seasons, 'cause South Bend did use two, [00:16:00] two different fields over the course of their history.

So, um, I'm not saying that's better. I don't... You know, I'm not, like, pro Rockford over pro South Bend or anything like that, There's just, , history behind that, in that every woman who played in that league probably played at Beyer at some point in her career, and you can't say that about the other stadiums in the league.

So it's just, it's just got layers and layers. And then for everything else that went on here, um, locally, this was the center of all high school football and track for decades. , Our big marching band, Phantom Regiment, in town, they practiced there. This was their home field, , back in the '80s. , It's just a lot of history there, so I'm glad that we are making it a usable space again, and, um, it's gonna start attracting a lot of attention, and including with some international teams, you know, this summer.

And what could be better? 

Mark Corbett: Well, congratulations on pulling all this together, my friend, and I wish [00:17:00] I could be there for the celebration with Maybelle. It's always a pleasure talking with you.

Like I said, if there's something else above, above and beyond that I've forgotten, which normally there is oh, no. Folks, I gotta tell you, R- Ryan Woodward is ... He's, he's a friend, and he's knowledgeable, and I enjoy his company, but also looking at all the work that he's done with, uh, women's baseball.

So check out all of those things, looking at the Women's Heritage Trail as far as Women's Heritage Baseball Trail, looking also with Women in Baseball Week, and, uh, what else? Of course, the IWBC site. And what did I forget to put on the tail end here? 

Ryan Woodward: That's a lot of them, so- ... yeah, keeps me busy. 

Mark Corbett: I'll put some notes here at the end of the show as well that you all can read and, uh, f- learn more about what's happening with Ryan, what's happening with the All Americans, and all the tournaments coming up soon.

So Ryan, thank you again so, so much, my friend, for being on the show. 

Ryan Woodward: Thank you for having me. 

 Special Thanks to Ryan Woodward for sharing with us the preparations for these upcoming events which will be another chapter in Women's Baseball History. Make sure to check the show notes for tickets and how you can participate. This has been a special Women in Baseball edition on BaseballBiz On Deck. If you enjoyed this show, go ahead like and subscribe to BaseballBiz On Deck. You may also find BaseballBiz on Deck, on YouTube, iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot com.