HISTORY

In the early 1960s, a group of softball players from Auckland and Wellington gathered to discuss an annual game for old players. Pop Chote, a dedicated softball manager and coach, donated a trophy known as the "Pop Chote Trophy." The first Evergreens game between Auckland and Wellington took place in 1963. Qualification for Evergreen players required having played Major A Representative Softball for their province and being out of representative softball for two years.

Annual games were played in Taumarunui or Te Kuiti from 1963 to 1970. The gatherings included golf, softball games, and the renewal of old friendships formed on the diamond. The Pop Chote Trophy changed hands between Auckland and Wellington during these years.

In 1971, the Evergreens Association was officially formed during a jubilee tournament in Cambridge, with Bryan Furness as the National Secretary. The Evergreens aimed to keep past major players engaged in softball, promote the sport, and assist local associations. Tournaments were initially held in smaller centers to promote the game.

Over the years, the Evergreens Association expanded, and by 1988, there were 21 teams participating in national tournaments. The list includes various regions such as Wellington, Auckland, Hutt Valley, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, and more.

The association had national secretaries and presidents, with a tradition of passing on a "YELLOW JACKET" initiated in 1981. In 1988, it was decided to organize tournaments directly by respective association secretaries and presidents. The "YELLOW JACKET" has since become a symbolic tradition, passed on each year from one tournament organizer to the next.