The first women's softball team was formed in 1895 at Chicago's West Division High School. They did not obtain a coach for competitive play until 1899. But in 1904, the Spalding Indoor Baseball Guide devoted a large section of the guide to the game of women's softball (presumably to reach a new demographic for its equipment) and the women's game began to grow.
The adoption of Title IX in 1972 by high schools and colleges fueled an explosion in women's softball, giving women more opportunity for scholarships, and a professional softball league, the International Women's Professional Softball League, was formed in 1976. The league folded in 1980, but the game hasn't stopped growing, and is viewed now as the women's form of baseball.
