Ian Litzenberger’s path to being named Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year started with a conversation around a table in October 2014.
That’s when Litzenberger and several other local softball parents and enthusiasts began seriously talking about hosting an international softball event in Prince Albert. That led to Prince Albert hosting the 2018 WBSC Junior Men’s Softball World Cup, a WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Group Stage in 2024, and the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Finals in 2025.
Litzenberger was the chair of the 2025 tournament host committee, and those efforts were recognized Saturday night at the Ches Leach Lounge when he was named Prince Albert’s 2025 Sportsman of the Year.
“It’s pretty humbling,” Litzenberger said during an interview prior to the award ceremony. “When you get involved in this stuff you don’t do it for a piece of paper or an award, right. This is where home is, so you’re trying to make your community better for your kids, trying to make it better for all the people who are in your community, and just being a part of it. To be recognized for that is pretty humbling.”
Litzenberger had no plans to host an international tournament when he first became involved in the local softball scene. He joined Prince Albert Minor Softball because his son and daughter played the sport, and was a part of several committees that hosted provincial, regional, and national youth tournaments before they started thinking bigger.
“A group of us, just through mutual friends and acquaintances, all of a sudden decided, ‘we’ve done some provincials, we’ve done some westerns, done nationals, what would it be like to bring the world to PA,” Litzenberger remembered.
Litzenberger said it was exciting to host an event nobody in Prince Albert had experienced before, but there were some who questioned whether the city could do it.
He was happy to see Prince Albert residents step up to make it happen. On Saturday, he credited the army of volunteers who worked behind the scenes for making the World Cup a success.
“It takes a captain to run the ship, but there are thousands of people in the background to make it happen,” he said. “That’s what makes PA so special. This community comes together when something needs to happen, and we proved that we’re the little engine that could.”
The 2025 World Cup not only brought the best softball players in the world to Prince Albert, it also led to significant infrastructure upgrades. In hosting the World Cup, the committee secured an additional $200,000 in legacy funds to support the continued development of Prime Ministers’ Park.
In a press release, the Kinsmen Club of Prince Albert cited Litzenberger’s leadership in leaving that legacy as a major reason he was named Sportsman of the Year.
“Ian is a community builder, a leader in sport, and a passionate volunteer whose impact has shaped the landscape of athletics and community life in Prince Albert,” reads the Kinsmen Club press release. “Ian’s leadership is sport is nothing short of remarkable.”
Litzenberger said he’s received plenty of offers to join other organizing committees following the success of the World Cup Finals. However, he plans to take a step back and focus on family for the next year.
Litzenberger’s son will graduate high school next spring, and is part of the Carlton Crusaders team that defeated St. Mary on Saturday to win the 2025 North Saskatchewan Football League title.
The win has put Carlton in the 5A Football Provincial Semi-Final, and Liztenberger said that’s going to be his focus for the future.
“I’m going to put the dad role on for the next little while and then who knows,” he said with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll get suckered into something.”
