Iowa Youth Softball Team Wraps Up Season with International Friendships

Musco Sponsors First Annual Global Youth Sports Exchange Program to China

OSKALOOSA, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A youth girls softball team from the Oskaloosa, Iowa, area is finishing up their season with international friendships. These 11 players, along with their coaches and families, traveled to Shanghai, China, earlier this year to participate in the inaugural Global Youth Sports Exchange Program. Musco and the Shanghai Baseball and Softball Association facilitated the games.

“Youth sports are at the heart of what we do,” Musco CEO Jeff Rogers shared. “We know sports are a tool to bring people together and that recreation makes a difference in kids’ lives.”

Of the 27 Iowans traveling to China for the exchange, many were first-time passport holders. Musco Director of Europe, Middle East, & Africa Chris Limpach is their coach, and his daughter is one of the players on the team. Limpach has lived internationally while working for Musco and knew this program could facilitate cross cultural understanding. “It was fantastic to see them come out of it with friendships and the realization that the world is a small place,” he said.

While 2025 was the first year for the program, plans are underway for it to become an annual event with international youth also traveling to Iowa in future years. Several venues make Iowa a great destination for the youth exchange, including Lacey Sports Park in Oskaloosa, Fareway Fields in Norwalk, and the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, where Musco is leading the development of a youth sports complex with up to 10 baseball and softball fields expected to open in 2026.

Other 2025 International Youth Sports Exchange Program Sponsors

Besides Musco and the Shanghai Baseball-Softball Association, others providing support and guidance included the Shanghai CPPCC Foreign Friendship Committee, the Shanghai Sports Federation, the Muscatine China Initiative Committee, the Shanghai Sports Bureau, the Songjiang District Government, and the Huacao Town Government - Minhang District.

About Musco Lighting

Musco has specialized in sports lighting and technology since 1976, with nearly 2,000 global team members providing innovative solutions for projects in 135 countries. Musco solutions are found on neighborhood fields, major stadiums and arenas, international airports, rail yards, the Olympic Games, iconic landmarks, and some of the world’s largest ports. Headquartered in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Musco has offices and operations in Muscatine, Des Moines, and Urbandale as well as throughout the US and in Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Germany, Mexico, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. For more information about Musco, visit www.musco.com.