Des Moines, Iowa

 NAFA is pleased toannounce a number of items that pertain to the upcoming 2007 NAFA World Seriesin Des Moines and West Des Moines, Iowa.

 The first listingof the 2007 World Series teams list for classes competing in Iowa can be foundon the 2007 World Series Website at www.2007ws.nafafastpitch.comand clicking on the "Teams" page.

 A reminder thatthis is an unofficial teams list and does not reflect who may or may not showup in Des Moines. Rather, it is a listof teams that have told their State Director they intend on playing.

 If you team is onthe list and not attending, or is not on the list and would like to attend,contact your State Director immediately to get the process started.

 The State Directorslist can be found at http://nafafastpitch.com/Leadership/directors.htm.

 Hotel informationfor the Des Moines area can also be found by following this link, http://2007ws.nafafastpitch.com/dm%20info/HotelTemplate2007.pdf.

 The Des MoinesOrganizing and Host Committee has already setup a number of great hospitalityperks for teams and will be adding more as the World Series approaches. Those can be found at http://2007ws.nafafastpitch.com/team_deals.htm.

 The 2007 WorldSeries Website will serve as the information point for scores, results, etc.for the 2007 NAFA World Series.

 A final list ofteams reclassified from last year's 2006 NAFA World Series can be found at http://www.nafafastpitch.com/classification/06_ws_reclass.htm

 NAFA is alsopleased to announce the creation of a new class, Class AA-Major.

 After it's 2003World Series in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, NAFA decided to takea new direction in it's classification structure.

 The result of thisnew direction was the creation of the Class A-Major. This classification was created to minimize the gap that wasbeing created between upper level Class A teams and the remainder of the ClassA teams who were considered, for the most part, local "town" teams.

 Class A-Major wascreated for those teams in Class A that had grown above the competitive balanceof the more traditional Class A teams but not yet ready to competecompetitively at the Class AA level.

 The result of thisdecision has been an increase in not only numbers at the Class A and A-Majorlevels, but an increase in competition as well as a noticeable competitivebalance in each class.

 Faced with asimilar situation the last three years, NAFA will once again take a newdirection in its classification structure with the creation of Class AA-Major.

 The current statusof the Major-level game has forced a overwhelming number of teams that weretraditionally Class AAA for NAFA into the category of "Open" based on the needfor an Open level pitcher or a handful of "Open" level players simply tocompete at the Major level.

 This situation hascreated a decrease in participants in NAFA's AAA division.

 Yet, theupper-level teams in Class AA are not on the same level as the AAA teams thatstill exist in NAFA, some of which do and do not compete at the ISC WorldTournament.

 As was the case in2003 with Class A, the same disparity has risen in Class AA for NAFA.

 The upper-levelClass AA teams are at a level higher than the teams in the lower, which includeteams reclassified from Class A-Major each year.

 It is with thisreclassification that NAFA will attempt to grow the game by allowing thecompetitive balance that teams look for to continue to strive each August.

 As A-Majorcurrently serves as a bridge between Classes A and AA, Class AA-Major willserve as a bridge between Class AA and AAA.

 Approximately 18teams and 25 pitchers have been reclassified to create Class AA-Major.

 Approximately 13teams and 25 pitchers have been reclassified to Class AA and approximately 15teams and 30 pitchers have been reclassified to Class A-Major, all from lowerdivisions.

 Thesereclassifications will result in a new look Class AA division that will looksimilar to the inaugural Class A-Major Division of play in Hutchinson, Kansasin 2004. The result will be a class ofplay that will stronger each year.

 Lastly, in thecoming weeks, look for the website for the 2007 NAFA Masters Zone Championshipsto be launched.

 The Eastern ZoneMasters is being held September 8 and 9 in Rockford, Illinois, with the WesternZone Masters being held September 15 and 16 in Carson City, Nevada.

 Both Zones willhave competition in 35-, 40-, 45- and 50-and-Over age divisions. Eligibility is based on a players age duringthe 2007 calendar year.

 Each team isallowed three (3) players who are three years younger than the age bracket theyare playing in, based upon the 2007 calendar year. These players CANNOT pitch in the Zone Championships however.

 Brett Bresnahan