There will be two major baseball events in Grand Forks during the summer of 2026 as the BC Sr Baseball Association has awarded the Boundary City the hosting rights for their Men’s Provincial Championship to be held July 31-August 3. Combined with the traditional Grand Forks International Tournament June 21-28, local baseball fans will have a great opportunity to see the best baseball the province has to offer!
Several of the clubs who compete at the GFI will be part of the field for the Men’s Provincials, held annually for over 50 years in various communities of the province. The winner of the Provincials represents BC at the National Championships in 2027 to be held in Edmonton. The tournament will feature eight teams from across the province competing for the Championship.
The tournament will be run by the Grand Forks International Society, who were approached to bid for the hosting rights given their success in operating the annual GFI, which has brought over a million dollars of economic impact into the area on an annual basis for 40 years.
The tournament typically features teams from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, North, and Kootenay regions.
GFI President Morgan Strohmann indicated that it was a great opportunity that doesn’t happen every year, and one he felt was another important way for the GFI to contribute to the local fabric of sport.
“We were excited to be awarded the rights to host. It’s a great opportunity for the local community to have another great event take place here. And we have a solid reputation for hosting baseball tournaments so I think they saw the value in coming to Grand Forks for their Provincials”
The winner of the tournament will also receive the Larry Seminoff Trophy, emblematic of Sr Baseball lore. The trophy last year was renamed in honour of the long time Grand Forks resident who built and sustained the GFI for 40 years. Seminoff was also the Sr Baseball Association Commissioner for over 40 years until just prior to his passing in 2024.
“It s a real testament to what the league thought about Larry’s contributions over the years,” said GFI tournament co-ordinator Steve Boutang. “He was an icon of baseball in this province. It will be great to have this tournament held in his hometown for the first time, and have his trophy presented on the field to the deserving winner.”
The tournament will be played at James Donaldson Park. Tournament passes and sponsorship opportunities will be available in the New Year.
Steve Boutang
Baseball Coordinator
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