2013 ANNUAL Report - Softball Australiaassets.softball.org.au/dl/sal/Publications/Annual ReportFINAL_High Res.… · We have much work to do to transform the sport back to its heyday

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ANNUAL Report 2013

Purpose

• be the dynamic and innovative leader of softball in Australia

• engage, support and inform all softball stakeholders

• raise the profile and standing of and participation in softball

• support and deliver quality competitive and recreational softball opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.

Vision

We will be the world’s number one softball nation, providing exciting competitive and recreational opportunities to a rapidly expanding and diverse membership and to communities across Australia.

Level 1, Suite 2, 273 Wellington Street, Collingwood VIC 3066

T 03 9417 0022

www.softball.org.au

Softball Australia Ltd ACN 092 181 318

CONTENTS

HIGHLIGHTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

CEO’S REPORT ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

MESSAGE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION ............................................................................................................................ 11

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

OUR COMMITTEES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

HIGH PERFORMANCE......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

TRANSITIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21

MEMBERSHIP ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

MEMBER RECOGNITION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 35

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

COACHING ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40

SCORING ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 47

UMPIRING ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 56

SOFTBALL COMMUNITY COACHING PROGRAM............................................................................................................................................... 63

SOFTBALL BATTER UP ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 64

INTERNATIONAL RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 66

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 71

OTHER NATIONAL RESULTS.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 75

SQUADS................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 77

SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA LIFE MEMBERS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 78

SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ........................................................................................................................................... 78

ISF HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES.................................................................................................................................................................................... 80

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 81

P A G E | 1 S O F T B A L L A U S T R A L I A A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 3

HIGHLIGHTS

International Competition

Australian U19 Men’s Team, Aussie Colts

In November 2012, Aussie Colts conclude their international campaign with a bronze medal at the ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship held in Parana, Argentina.

Australian Open Men’s Team, Aussie Steelers

In March 2013, Aussie Steelers finish with a bronze medal at the ISF XIII Men's World Championship held in Auckland, New Zealand.

Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit

In July 2013, Aussie Spirit were outstanding, winning a silver medal at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship held in Vancouver, Canada and a bronze medal at the World Cup of Softball VIII held in Oklahoma City, USA.

2013 Australian U17 Girls’ Development Team – Aussie Sparks Tour of the US

An international tour provided experience for the athletes, who will be age eligible for the Australian U19 Women’s Team for the 2015 ISF XI Junior Women’s World Championship, to be held in Oklahoma City, USA from 7-16 August 2015.

Membership Model

Priority work continued on key initiatives from the Membership Management Plan, including introduction of a new membership model, individual member types, and finance model. These will be presented to the Softball Australia Annual General Meeting for ratification by Member States in November. In addition Softball Australia entered memoranda of understanding with key national partners, released and aligned the new national database with existing and proposed softball programs and participant categories, and developed initiatives from the Market Insights project, ‘National Softball Survey and Segmentation Report 2012’.

National Insurance Program

Softball Australia undertook a tender for an insurance and risk management program. The successful brokers, JLT Sport, have also secured the right to table a national proposal for the consideration of all States.

Member Satisfaction Survey

In June, Softball Australia released a Member Satisfaction Survey seeking information in three key areas: demographics, satisfaction levels, and indicators for future initiatives.

Transitions

On 20 March 2013, at the conclusion of the ISF XIII Men's World Championship, Australian Open Men's Team Captain, Nathan Jones, announced his retirement from international competition.


Australian softball lost one of its greats – Shirley Fogarty.

CRM System

In June, the National Membership Database was released to Member States.

Softball Community Coaching Program

The Softball Community Coaching Program website was launched in May 2013, www.softballcoach.com.au.

Recognition

In 2012, Softball Australia announced seven inductees into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame: All recipients were members of the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit.

In October 2012, Peter John Hartshorne was appointment to the Softball Australia Board and at the AGM in November 2012, Christine Heron and Annie Fidge were elected.

Softball Australia thanks Selwyn Williams for his time and commitment to the Softball Australia Board serving from April 2009 – November 2012.

http://www.softballcoach.com.au/


CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

As we close off another year, I am delighted to report that Australia maintained its position as a front-runner in world softball competition with bronze medal placings in all four divisions of international competition (Open Women, Open Men, U19 Women, and U19 Men).

International Competition

While our men’s teams relinquished their respective premier positions in world standings, they did not do so without some excellent performances in defence of their titles.

After dominating the world stage with four successive gold medal winning world championships, the Australian U19 Men’s Team, Aussie Colts, ended their supremacy with a bronze medal at the ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship held in Parana, Argentina.

In March 2013, the Australian Open Men’s Team, Aussie Steelers, in the highlight match of the Championship, missed their chance for repeat glory with a semi-final loss to a determined NZ home team, finishing with a bronze medal at the ISF XIII Men's World Championship held in Auckland.

The big improvers this year were our women; in July 2013, the less favoured Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, were outstanding, winning a silver medal at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship held in Vancouver, Canada and a bronze medal at the World Cup of Softball VIII held in Oklahoma City, USA.

A pilot partnership with a tour operator, Aussie Sparks, was trialled to provide an opportunity to strengthen our athlete pathway. Our U17 Girls’ Development Team played 16 games and finished 6th overall in the 49-team competition. Members of the team are age eligible for the Australian U19 Women’s Team for the 2015 ISF XI Junior Women’s World Championship, to be held in Oklahoma City, USA from 7-16 August 2015.

Olympic Reinstatement

At the last World Congress, softball elected to make a joint submission with baseball for Olympic reinstatement in 2020. The World Baseball Softball Federation (WBSF) was established to manage the process and resulting outcomes. Whilst a strong case and convincing pre-vote submission were put forward, baseball-softball came a distant second in IOC voting, with wrestling reinstated. However, with the announcement that Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics and the IOC President’s discretionary power to select an additional sport to take part in the Summer Olympics, baseball-softball remain optimistic about inclusion.

Financial

Just as Softball Australia was overcoming its financial challenges, changes by the Australian Sports Commission in classification and investment guidelines resulted in a 33.1% reduction in funding to the sport. The reduction was predominantly in the High Performance area with elimination of the AIS funding (now Australia’s Winning Edge) and a reclassification of reduced funding for whole of sport purposes which, unlike Winning Edge, is not evaluated on achievements and potential successes at Olympic, Paralympic, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. This now places Softball Australia in a position where we are forced to minimise financial support of international teams and focus funding on commercial growth and development of the sport.

Despite the challenges of reduced revenue, Softball Australia delivered cost alignment of its activities to enable the realisation of a better than expected budget surplus.

The need to reform the sport is now inevitable. We have now had a number of years to shift the sport from a diminishing membership and increasing dependence on funding, towards self-reliance in an environment of growth and


unified direction. This necessary change of direction has had a slow and reluctant take-up and needs to be collectively addressed or we will cease to exist as a sport of any significance in the Australian sporting landscape.

Governance

The Governance Committee meet bimonthly and review Softball Australia’s policies, guidelines and regulations and confer on governance matters raised by the Softball Australia Board.

The past year has been particularly productive with the revision of the following policies:

eCommunications Policy

Risk Management Policy

Membership Policy

Australian Teams Policy and Procedures

Member Recognition Policy and Procedures

Anti-Doping Policy

Work continues to align Member States Constitutions, purposes and objectives with Softball Australia, as well as continue with the Softball Australia Ambassador program that provides support for Member State Boards as required, as well as providing a direct line of communication between a Softball Australia Director and State Presidents.

Recognition

In 2012, Softball Australia announced seven inductees into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame: All recipients were members of the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit: Wendy Braybon, Carolyn Buttsworth, Tanya Harding, Sandra Lewis, Melanie Roche, Natalie Titcume and Natalie Ward.

In October 2012, Peter Jon Hartshorne was appointed, and at the AGM in November 2012, Christine Heron and Annie Fidge were elected to the Board of Softball Australia. We welcome the variety of additional and vital skills that Peter, Christine and Annie bring to the Board. Softball Australia also acknowledges the contribution made by Selwyn Williams and thanks him for his time and commitment as a director of the Softball Australia Board since 2009.

Vale

During the year, we lost one of the great contributors to our sport.

Shirley Fogarty, 1929-2012, was a tireless player, coach, and administrator for Softball NSW as its first Hall of Fame inductee who went on to become an Australian representative. She commenced her representative softball career for NSW in 1952 and continued contributing to the sport for most of her life.

Achievements

During the year we faced many challenges and the following, which is by no means exhaustive, is a synopsis of our achievements and further directions:

Significantly improved governance, management, leadership, stakeholder alignment and operational efficiencies delivered

Board and executive priority is on strategic marketing to generate alternative revenue sources and deliver membership growth

Development and delivery of commercial and/or non-commercial product variants is a high priority, however this is compromised by funding reduction and various other factors


We have much work to do to transform the sport back to its heyday of participation and prosperity. Some of the key deliverables identified as the way forward and as summarised in a recent funding submission to the Australian Sports Commission include:

Continued development of commercial projects benefiting the sustainable growth of the sport

Leveraging ASC resources and opportunities to deliver key commercial growth messages to members

Developing engagement and club transition programs

Consolidating and rationalising current resources to focus on club development tools

Initiating a Softball Product Development Plan to include variants of existing products aimed at stimulating new participants

Developing sponsorship packages for the club development program and new product range

Continuing to develop shared services, bulk purchasing opportunities and resource benefits for members.

We know what we have to do but need the unified actions and alignment of our stakeholders and membership to deliver on these and other expectations. We have achieved much, but need to achieve more and the next year presents a significant crossroad for the sport.

Acknowledgement

I acknowledge the contribution and achievements of the volunteers who support our sport and make it possible for

many Australians to participate, day in and day out. As in most sports, the majority of recognition is bestowed upon frontline personnel and the elite. Whilst their contribution is certainly noteworthy, it is often the volunteers behind the scenes who make it all possible. There is a plethora of coaches, scorers, umpires, grounds-personnel, administrators, committees, parents and supporters who willingly donate huge amounts of their time to make this sport possible. These volunteers contribute freely to enable participation in officially organised and recognised softball.

I also take this opportunity to thank the Softball Australia Directors, our Member State Boards, and association and club committees for giving their time freely to support the running and development of our sport. Being a volunteer administrator in sport can be a thankless task, attracting as it does the brunt of criticism for decisions made for the overall good of softball, rather than parochial interests.

Following the departure of our CEO in June 2012, Chet Gray was appointed Acting CEO. A restructure of all Softball Australia operations was immediately conducted with a view to streamlining and reducing expenditure, while maintaining focus on resourcing key deliverables.

Since Chet was formally appointed CEO, he and his team have faced renewed challenges, including reduced funding. We thank Chet for the remarkable job he has done during this period and to the Softball Australia staff who have collectively supported and contributed to meeting these challenges and facing overwhelming odds in achieving these endeavours.

Thank you also to the Softball Australia Board members for their persistence and resilience for not only addressing the many challenges we faced, but remaining unified and steadfast in our conviction of creating a better future for our sport.

Finally, I would like to thank our Principal Partner, the Australian Sports Commission who supported Softball Australia during this difficult period. Without their ongoing support and offered assistance we would have struggled to endure. Softball Australia appreciates the support of the ASC as we look to the future with renewed enthusiasm.

Dennis Cullen Chairman



CEO’S REPORT

2012-2013 represented my first full year in the CEO role for Softball Australia, and I am delighted to be able to reflect upon and report on the many accomplishments that we have achieved as a sport and touch upon the challenges that we face.

It has been a busy and productive year for our sport and I offer my thanks and congratulations to all those who have participated, worked in, administered and supported the game over this period.

It is fair to say that 2012-2013 has seen the beginning of enormous transition for Softball Australia.

In April, we were notified of major reduction in funding from the Australian Sport Commission (ASC) in the High Performance area and the reclassification of our sport to the ‘Whole of Sport’ category. Softball is no longer considered a High Performance sport in the view of the ASC and will no longer have access to High Performance (Elite) funding.

The reduction of annual Government funding will have an impact on our current and future operations. However, a reclassification of that funding may provide us with an opportunity to reallocate the residual funding more flexibly into wider areas of our sport.

From a management and governance viewpoint, the major activity during the past 12 months has been operational changes in the High Performance area with a greater focus on membership growth.

The Board has taken the opportunity to review the 42 recommendations from the ‘Too Few; Too Much’ report conducted by the ASC in 2009 to determine what Softball Australia has been able to achieve over the past four years.

Many challenges for softball in Australia still remain and significant work is required to promote growth of the sport in respect to participation and membership numbers. These challenges cannot be adequately dealt with by individual groups within softball and it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to work together to advance the sport in Australia.

The last 12 months has seen a significant turn-around in our financial performance. We achieved in excess of our budgeted surplus largely due to reduction of staffing positions and savings in key program areas.

We also saw a number of changes in staff and structure at Softball Australia. We welcomed Geoff Rietschel (Membership & Club Development Coordinator) and Shane Cantelmi (HP Junior Operations Coordinator) and look forward to their contribution to the organisation.

Personnel changes have occurred within the Directors of Softball Australia. In October, Peter Jon Hartshorne, Managing Partner of the Infinity group was appointed to the Board by the Directors and Chris Heron and Annette Fidge were elected to the Board in November at the AGM. Dennis Cullen was re-elected to the Board in November and appointed

by the Board as the Chairman in December.

While all this change was taking place off the field, Australian teams kept performing at an extremely high level on the field in international competition:

Bronze medal – Australian U19 Men’s Team, ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship

Bronze medal – Australian Open Men’s Team, ISF XIII Men’s World Championship

Silver medal – Australian Open Women, Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship

Bronze medal – Australian Open Women, World Cup of Softball VIII

2013 Australian U17 Girls Development Team Aussie Sparks Tour of the US A pilot partnership with a tour operator, Aussie Sparks, was trialled to provide an opportunity to strengthen our athlete pathway. The June-July tour provided invaluable experience for the athletes, who are age eligible for the Australian U19 Women’s Team for the 2015 ISF XI Junior Women’s World Championship, to be held in Oklahoma City, USA.


At the National level, as usual our championships and events were hotly contested. Congratulations to the following member state for their success:

U15 Regional Championship – Girls – NSW Metro Green/ Boys – NSW Country Gold

Arthur Allsopp Shield (U17 Boys) – Qld

Esther Deason Shield (U17 Girls) – Qld

Nox Bailey Shield (U19 Men) – Qld

Elinor McKenzie (U19 Female) – NSW

John Reid Shield (Open Men) – ACT

Gilley’s Shield (Open Women) – WA

Edebone-Weber Shield (Open Women inc NZ) – Qld

On behalf of Softball Australia I would like to acknowledge the staff and volunteers of all host members of the National Championships and Events for their hard work in providing the facilities and infra-structure for such events to take place.

Capacity Building

Membership Model and Policy

Softball Australia preparing for the introduction of two new membership types, entering of memoranda of understanding with key national partners in softball provision, drafting of a new Membership Policy, release and alignment of the new national database with existing and proposed softball programs and participant categories and the development of initiatives from the Market Insights project, ‘National Softball Survey and Segmentation Report 2012’.

National Insurance Program

Softball Australia, seeking to implement a national insurance program, undertook an open tender process for insurance broking consistent with the conditions identified by Member States to consider a proposal. The successful brokers, JLT Sport, subsequently presented a national insurance proposal for the consideration of all Member States. We look forward to advancing this opportunity for the benefit of all members, especially as it supports the accuracy required in

our membership database model.

Member Satisfaction Survey

In June, Softball Australia released a Member Satisfaction Survey seeking information in three key areas: demographics, satisfaction levels, and indicators for future initiatives. The response was overwhelming and the information provided

by hundreds of members is being utilised to better understand our community, identify opportunities to build on our strengths, reduce our weaknesses, and provide our members with fulfilment from their association with the sport.

Softball Community Coaching Program

The Softball Community Coaching Program website was launched in May 2013, http://www.softballcoach.com.au. This initiative, funded in partnership by the Australian Sports Commission, is to provide coaches with the appropriate

information and support to deliver programs with a focus on participation and engagement. The Program is designed to teach coaches how to deliver fun and engaging activities utilising the ‘Game Sense’ approach. In particular, it aims to help community coaches understand the basics of activity-based programs.



National Membership Database

Following extensive interaction with our provider, fuseSPORT, and invaluable assistance from administrators who tested and provided feedback on system functionality, the National Membership Database was released to Member States in June.

A number of training sessions were conducted with Member State administrators via screen sharing, with each session recorded and made available for future use.

In the coming months, Member States will release the Database to their Clubs and Associations and, with Softball Australia’s assistance, provide appropriate training and support to enable administrators to use the Database effectively.

Our Deliverables

In 2012-13 we were able to deliver and report monthly to the Board on our strategic and operational Key Performance Indicators using a balance scorecard method. Many of our KPIs were achieved:

Participation

The Softball Batter Up program achieved over 2,300 paid registrations nationally

The Indigenous Softball program achieved over 8000 participants in various initiatives

Delivery of over 30 Softball Community Coach programs nationally with over 500 registered participants

Through the OzPitch program (Social Slowpitch Softball) over 500 new members participated

High Performance

There was an increase of over 5% in the number of accredited coaches nationally

Developed and implemented a Daily Training Environment program for over 90% of our national athletes

Building Partnerships and Engagement of Stakeholders

The future of Softball is all about unity. If we are to be successful with our goals and objectives through this transition period and beyond we must do it together. Our strategic planning must be aligned at every level of the sport to achieve growth in the future. If we cannot achieve unity of the sport we will continue to decline in membership and importance in the Australian sporting cultural landscape.

It is important we continue to build relationships with the Australian Sport Commission and involve our Member States in the transition taking place within softball.

I would like to acknowledge the support and guidance of the ASC’s David Crocker, Kim Williams, Andrew Pratley, Peter Topp, Michael McGovern, Jonathan Grady and a number of other key individuals who have provided assistance to Softball Australia.

Our partnership with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to deliver the Indigenous Softball program in rural and remote areas continued with very positive results.

I would also like to thank our loyal sponsors, Greatrex and Easton.


Our People

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Softball Australia who work over and above expectation on a regular basis as they diligently deliver the programs and results for the sport.

I would also like to thank all of the members of the Board for their time and effort during the year. All Board members give freely of their time and expertise and we are very grateful to have such a dedicated group.

The Future

We are in the final year of our five year strategic plan which has been the foundation for improving our governance and management. We now must direct our focus on sustainable growth and reform of the sport. Our KPIs over the next 12 months which reflect growth and reform are as follows:

Deliver an annual membership growth

Generate external revenue (non-Government)

Deliver and account for 15,000 softball school participants

Achieve over 750 new members through social softball products

Achieve a top three result at the ISF World Championships

Develop and pilot a National Club Development program

Develop and implement new/existing product variants

United we can grow the sport and divided we will continue to decline.

Chet Gray CEO


MESSAGE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPORTS

COMMISSION

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is committed to ensuring Australian athletes excel in the international sporting arena, and increasing Australians’ participation in sport.

These two clear objectives are mutually reinforcing – international success inspires Australians to participate in sport and greater participation helps nurture our future champions. Sport inspires individuals, unites communities and encourages active lifestyles.

Success at the international level has become even more challenging for Australian athletes. Traditional competitors keep getting better, and rising countries are becoming forces to be reckoned

with. Our tenth placing in the medal table at the London Olympic Games continued a downward trend over the past three games.

Through Australia’s Winning Edge 2012-2022, our game plan to move Australian sport from world class to world best, we are changing the role of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the delivery of the high performance program, improving the financial performance and position of national sporting organisations (NSOs) and strengthening the governance structures and standards of NSOs.

We have initiated a fundamental reform process to improve Australian sport, by linking high performance sports funding more closely with performance; ensuring the AIS is the world’s best high performance sports institute; modernising governance structures in a number of sports; investing to improve coaching, leadership skills, talent identification and innovation in Australian sport; and reinforcing public confidence in the integrity of sport. These reforms will create lasting change and improvement.

In 2013-14, the Australian Government, through the ASC, is investing almost $120 million in national sporting organisations for high performance programs and to promote grassroots participation in sport.

Our partner sports can expect a much sharper focus by the ASC in future on best practice governance and administration, intellectual property ownership, athlete management and support structures and general accountabilities by the sports. Equally, the ASC is committed to changing to meet the needs of contemporary sport.

Importantly, the ASC is focused on promoting grassroots participation in sport throughout Australia and to continue a suite of successful national programs such as the Active After-school Communities program. Increased community sport participation has a profound long term dividend, and remains a vital objective of the ASC.

The ASC looks forward to working in collaboration with the sport sector to encourage more people into sport and to drive Australia’s continued international sporting success.

John Wylie AM

Chair Board of the Australian Sports Commission


ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

*ceased November 2012 **appointed November 2012 *** elected November 2012

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dennis Cullen (Chairman) Helen Langenberg John Hollingsworth Annette Fidge*** Selwyn Williams* Michelle Nancarrow

Peter Jon Hartshorne** Christine Heron***

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Chet Gray

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Acting High Performance Manager/National Community Coach Jenny Cassidy Membership & Participation Manager Geoff Rietschel Marketing & Events Manager Kylie Bloodworth High Performance Operations Coordinator Kylie Moulds High Performance Junior Operations Coordinator Shane Cantelmi Australian AIS Women’s Head Coach Kere Johanson Social Inclusion Coordinator Tim Hatzi Softball Batter Up Coordinator Joanne Paez National Community Coach Coordinator Trish Bennett Finance Coordinator Hari Prasad

eCommunications Coordinator Helen Davis Special Projects Coordinator Rafael Martins Administration Coordinator Tracey Duscher (left Jan 2013) Honorary Softball Australia Historian Margo Koskelainen OAM


OUR COMMITTEES

Finance Committee

Annette Fidge, Committee Chair Dennis Cullen Chet Gray

Hari Prasad John Hollingsworth Helen Langenberg (resigned December 2012) Peter Jon Hartshorne

Governance Committee

Christine Heron, Committee Chair (app May 2013) Michelle Nancarrow Chet Gray Helen Langenberg Dennis Cullen

Technical Events Committee

Kylie Bloodworth (Softball Australia) Sheryl Burnie (Tas) Mike Hannelly (NSW) Tricia Sibraa (Qld) Margo Koskelainen (Vic) Ray Carter (Vic)

Member Recognition Committee

Ken Culpitt (ACT) Cathy Kerr (NSW) Neville Lawrance (SA) Margo Koskelainen OAM (Vic)

Audrey McLaughlin AM (Qld) Harvey Milson (NSW) Lorraine Ireland (Vic) Shirley Schneider (WA) Kylie Bloodworth (Softball Australia)

National Scoring Committee

Michael Hannelly (NSW) (resigned as Chief Statistician Feb 2013) Carolyn Buttsworth (NSW (retired April 2013) Ngaire Huston (Qld) (appointed Chief Statistician May 2013)

Lindy Rattigan (SA) Kirsty Andrews (Qld) (app May 2013) Sandra Palmer (NSW) (app May 2013) Mary Walkinshaw (Vic) (resigned Aug 2012) Chris Trengove (Vic)

National Umpiring Committee

Tricia Sibraa (Qld) National UIC/UIC Operations Leigh Evans (Vic) UIC – Technical Debbie Grove (Vic) UIC – Development Amanda Houison (NSW) UIC – Communication Bridget Cameron (Qld) Communications Kyira Cox (NSW) Communications Yvonne Kahler (Qld) Development Darren Sibraa (Qld) Technical

Membership Review Project Team

Sue Rindfleish (NSW) Mark Jeppesen (Qld) Bob Nicholson (SA) John Milbourne (Tas) Jenny Holliday (Vic)

Trevor Howard (WA) Andrew Pratley (ASC) David Simpson (ASC) Chet Gray (Softball Australia) Jo Paez (Softball Australia)


HIGH PERFORMANCE

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) launched their new strategy, Australia’s Winning Edge, post London Olympics, outlining a sharper, more robust national funding model, with greater accountability. Future funding decisions for all national sporting organisations were based on sports that demonstrate the greatest chance of short, medium and long-term success at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Paralympic Games and World Championships. Decisions were based on credible evidence and future potential, along with understanding the systems that would drive performance outcomes.

The ASC decided that softball did not contribute to their high performance objectives, resulting in a 33.1% ($600,000) reduction of our annual high performance funding and a reclassification of softball into the ‘Whole of Sport’ funding category.

Our Open Women, Aussie Spirit, won bronze, ISF XIII Women’s World Championships, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, which was a significant improvement from the 2010 result. Their lead up competitions allowed Head Coach, Kere Johanson, to reinforce their newly adopted game plan and team culture, winning silver at the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship and bronze at the World Cup of Softball VIII.

This young team is bridging the gap between the US and Japan, manufacturing runs by placing constant pressure on the opposition’s defence.

The Australian U19 Men’s Team, Aussie Colts, ended their ISF X Junior Men’s World Championship campaign finishing with a bronze medal. The boys were gallant in defeat, playing 24 innings of World Championship play on the final day, which showed a real strength of character and mental toughness.

Our Open Men, Aussie Steelers, finished with a bronze medal at the 2013 ISF XIII Men's World Championship held in Auckland, New Zealand. Over 2,000 supporters witnessed some epic battles with Japan, New Zealand, Argentina and Venezuela. The depth and improvement in pitching encountered by the Aussie Steelers was significant, particularly in the South American countries.

National High Performance Initiatives

Alignment of the men’s and women’s programs

Development of National Coaching Instructional Guidelines for State-based Daily Training Environment coaches

Introduction of short game hitting to all national squad members

Introduction of U17 international tour


Strength & Conditioning Program

Program/age specific

Established national data for test results

Monitored athletes’ test results

Improved the overall fitness level of our national athletes

Introduced Movement Assessment to manage any potential injury issues

Skill Evaluation Testing

Established national database

Monitored and reviewed all results

National Battery Camps

The National Battery Camps are an extension on the previous Catchers Camps, providing:

Advanced training and skill development for pitchers and catchers

High quality positional specific training/coaching

International Youth Cup

Junior National Elite Training Camp

Introduction to international competition

Coach development opportunity

Umpire development

Daily Training Environment

Delivered high quality coaching to all State-based national squad members

Oversaw and maintained database for national Strength & Conditioning Program

Conducted regular skill evaluation testing for national coaches to track athlete development

Up-skilling of coaches and athletes with regard to cutting edge technology and evolving coaching philosophies

National Coaching Leadership Advisory Group

The National Coaching Leadership Advisory Group has appropriate leadership to provide effective program

governance and management. They assist with the direction of our identified priorities for all national programs, harnessing the knowledge and expertise of

our national head coaches to develop the high performance initiatives strengthens our vision for closer alignment of all programs.

National Coaching Leadership Advisory Group

Kere Johanson AIS Open Women’s Head Coach

Bob Harrow Open Men’s Head Coach

Shane Hughes U19 Women’s Head Coach

Gary Butler

U19 Men’s Head Coach (until March 2013)

Wayne Saunders U19 Men’s Head Coach (app March 2013)

Vicki Bingley U17 Girls’ Head Coach

Kathy Horton U17 Boys’ Head Coach


Elite Competition

2012 ISF XIII Women’s World Championship

The Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, finished 3rd at the XIII ISF Women’s World Championship held in Yukon, Canada from 1-22 July 2012.

It was a closely contested competition with the team showing significant improvement from the 2010 ISF XII Women’s World Championship in Venezuela finishing in 6th place.

Australia commenced their campaign with a challenging opening game against Japan. Leadoff hitter, Stacey Porter (NSW), provided Australia with the best possible start by hitting a home run and allowing Australia to take the lead 1-0.

Australia pushed the strong Japanese team the entire game only allowing their number 1 pitcher Yukiko Ueno one strike out. However, Japan played some outstanding defence to win 3-1.

In the minor rounds, Australia comprehensively defeated Italy 11-0, Mexico 10-2, New Zealand 5-1 and Chinese Taipei 6-2, however lost to Canada 2-1. Australia finished 3rd in section B, behind Japan and Canada and lost the luxury of the double chance in the play-offs.

In the first game of the play-offs, Australia had a strong win over Puerto Rico 12-0, setting up a double-header against China and Canada the following day. Aussie Spirit surrendered the lead twice against China in an exciting game where a loss would mean a final World Championship ranking of 5th. Australia fought to the very end with a 5-4 victory in extra innings to advance to play Canada in the bronze medal game later that evening.


Once again, Australia faced pitcher, Danielle Lawrie, who led the Canadian attack. However, with improved mental preparation and tactical adjustments, Aussie Spirit were never going to be denied and hit Lawrie out of the game by the 3rd innings, and leading 2-0. After playing solid defence, Australia won the game 3-1, assuring a podium finish.

Australia then faced Japan for an opportunity to play for a spot in the World Championship final. Japan led early in the game, 1-0, and increased it to 2-0 by the 7th inning. At the bottom of the 7th inning, Aussie Spirit showed their improvement by taking Japan to loaded bases with no outs. Japanese pitching sensation, Yukiko Ueno, stepped up and produced two strike outs putting Japan in a winning position. Australia’s last hope, Jodie Bowering (Qld), made solid contact off Ueno which could have won the game, but Japan’s defence again proved to be a winning formula in tight games, with the final score 2-0. Overall, Australia’s offence was a contributing factor at the World Championship, with a team batting average of .286 and an on base average of .448.

Australia claimed the bronze medal, a good finish for a team that grew in stature throughout the tournament.

2013 ISF XIII Men’s World Championship

The Australian Open Men’s Team, Aussie Steelers, finished 3rd at the ISF XIII Men’s World Championship held in Auckland, New Zealand from 1-10 March, 2013.

The defending World Champions opened the campaign with a first round win over the United States, 6-0. In a calculated display, Aussie Steelers never allowed the USA team into the game. Adam Folkard, dominated on the pitching plate, while Joel Southam returned to international competition after a six year hiatus in stunning form. Australia then went on to defeat Indonesia 10-0 in four innings, Great Britain 7-0 and South Africa 9-1 in five innings by the international run-ahead rule.

Australia continued their dominance of Pool A with a top of the table clash against Venezuela. The game was dominated by great pitching and tight defence in the first five innings. Adam Folkard was sensational against the tough batting line up of Venezuela, striking out 15 hitters, giving up four hits and one walk for the game.

Australia secured top position in Pool A in a come from behind win to defeat a strong Samoan outfit, 3-2 on Day 6 of the Championship. The Steelers earned a double chance in the playoffs by defeating Czech Republic, 8-2.


New Zealand handed the Steelers their first loss at the Championship winning a marathon 10 innings battle, 5-4. In one of the best games of softball in World Championship history, the Trans-Tasman battle between the Steelers and NZ Black Sox left no-one disappointed in the quality of softball produced by both teams. Steelers’ pitching ace, Adam Folkard, was given the responsibility of spearheading the attack, at times reaching speeds of up to 135km. The Steelers picked up eleven hits, the highlight being the two inspirational home runs by veteran, Jeff Goolagong. Michael Tanner and Joel Southam again led the Steelers’ offence, collecting three hits each. James Todhunter and Mark Harris (two hits) were the other Aussies to collect hits.

Despite opportunities, neither team was able to score in the 8th or 9th innings. In the top of the 10th, with speedster Joel Southam on 2nd, a wayward Kiwi pitch advanced him to third to put Australia in scoring position. The youngest member of the Steelers, Cameron Bint, drove a fly ball to centrefield to score Southam. Going into the bottom of the 10th inning, Australia got the first two outs and looked on the verge of a memorable victory. However, it was the double by Kiwi hitter, Brad Rona, that scored the tying run for the Black Sox. Australia intentionally walked Donny Hale to bring up Ben Enoka. Enoka drove the ball to rightfield and scored Rona to win the game.

The Australian Team were able to regroup and avoid elimination by defeating Japan 4-0 and Argentina 2-1, ensuring a podium finish. In their final game of the Championship, the Steelers could not get back the 2 run deficit that the Venezuelan team established in the first two innings of the game. Australian starter, Andrew Kirkpatrick, struggled to

overcome the powerful hitting line-up from Venezuela, giving up a run in both the 1st and 2nd innings, a lead that proved to be too much for the Aussie Steelers, which resulted in a bronze medal.

ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship

The Australian U19 Men’s Team, Aussie Colts, finished 3rd at the ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship held in Parana, Argentina from 1-10 November, 2012. The Aussie Colts lost only two games at the Championship – both to the eventual silver medallist, Japan.


Australia was grouped in Pool A with Denmark, India, New Zealand, Singapore, United States and Venezuela, with the seven other competing countries grouped in Pool B. The Colts’ pool games against New Zealand (6-5 win in eight innings) and Venezuela (2-0 win) were challenging, but the remaining four pool games were easily won under the international run-ahead rule. As a result, Australia went through the pool games undefeated with a 6-0 win-loss record to finish on top of the pool and advance to the playoffs.

Australia’s first playoff game was against Japan, who finished second in Pool B. The Colts started the game well, scoring a run in the top of the 1st innings, but Japan’s 3rd innings proved to be crucial, scoring 5 runs and eventually going on to win, 7-3.

Heavy rain made the grounds unplayable on the second last day of competition, which led to a revision of the schedule, meaning that Australia would need to win four tough games on the final day to claim gold.

Australia’s first game on the final day was against Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand. New Zealand scored the first run of the game in the top of the 3rd inning, and still held a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 6th inning. However, a home run to Josh Wagner, with Ryan Sinclair on base, gave Australia a 2-1 lead. The Colts shut NZ down in the top of the 7th to win 2-1.

That win progressed Australia to a game against Canada, with the winner guaranteed a medal and the loser finishing fourth. Trailing 2-1 after five innings, the Colts manufactured a run in each of the 6th and 7th innings to Marshall Kronk

and Jesse Taws respectively, to win 3-2 and in doing so, secured a medal.

Australia’s third game of the day was arguably the best of the Championship; a 10 innings marathon against Japan. Scores were locked at 2-2 after seven innings of regulation play, forcing the game into extra innings. In the 8th inning, neither team was able to score, but in the top of the 9th,Japan put pressure on Australia by scoring two runs. The Colts responded brilliantly, scoring two runs of their own to Ryan Sinclair and Nathan Dickinson to level the game again and send it into a 10th inning. Japan scored one run in the top half of the inning but Australia was unable to respond; the final score 5-4. A very gallant Australia finished with bronze after an exhausting final day’s play.

Liam O’Leary (0.458 batting average), Nick O’Shea (0.393), Marshall Kronk (0.346), Aaron Whitefield (0.333) and Josh Wagner (0.308) were Australia’s best batters throughout the World Championship, each registering at least eight hits.

Marshall Kronk (30 innings, 54 strikeouts, 1.867 ERA) and Nathan Dickinson (27.7 innings, 33 strikeouts, 1.518 ERA) each pitched four wins for Australia.


Other Events

2013 Open Men’s International Series In the lead up to the ISF XIII Men's World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, the Aussie Steelers played host to Japan and two invitational teams from the ACT and NSW in a friendly at Hawker International Softball Centre, ACT. The opportunity to play against Japan, considered to be a serious medal contender on the back of strong youth development programs, was a valuable experience for the Steelers.

2013 Australian U17 Girls’ Development Team, Aussie Sparks Tour of the US A pilot partnership with a privately owned entity, Aussie Sparks, was trialled to provide an opportunity to strengthen our athlete pathway.

A team of 16 players from the 2013 Australian U17 Girls’ Squad were selected to tour the US from 26 June – 11 July and were led by Australian U17 Girls’ Head Coach, Vicki Bingley.

The tour included private instruction at San Jose State University and competition at the California Grapettes (Battle of the Best) and Champions Cup tournaments.

Aussie Sparks played a total of 16 games, with their performance at the Champions Cup the highlight, winning five and drawing two games from a total of nine, finishing 6th overall in the 49-team competition.

AIS Women’s Softball Program

The AIS Softball Program has been a major factor in the success and depth of women’s softball over the past 10 years. The purpose of the Program has been to provide a daily training environment for elite female players, supporting the preparation of world class athletes. Softball Australia/AIS Head Coach, Kere Johanson, and AIS Strength and Conditioning Coach, Mike Harrow, coordinate a network of coaches in each State to assist in the provision of high quality expertise.

In October 2012, former Australian Open Women’s pitcher, Kelly Hardie, was appointed AIS Battery Coach to deliver specialist battery coaching to AIS scholarship holders and identify athletes through a program of training and development camps.

Four AIS training camps were conducted during the year to support the national team in the lead up to the 2013 US and Canada Tour:

AIS Induction Camp, West Beach, SA, 25-27 November 2012

The athletes were addressed by acting AIS Systems Manager, Jonathan Grady, and Australian/AIS Head Coach, Kere Johanson. The Australian U19 Women’s Team, Aussie Pride, joined the camp as part of their preparation for the ISF X Junior Women’s World Championship held in Brampton, Canada, 1-7 July 2013.

AIS Combined Camp, Waverley, Vic, 2- 4 February 2013

At the completion of the Gilley’s Shield, the AIS/Australian Open Women’s Squad, Australian Open Men’s infielders and the U19 Women’s World Championship Team combined to take part in

knowledge sharing activities.

AIS Camp, Blacktown, NSW, 20-23 June 2013

A joint camp was held with the Australian U19 Women’s Team, Aussie Pride, as they finalised their preparation before departing to Brampton, Canada for the ISF X Junior Women’s World Championship.

AIS Battery Camp, Windsor, Qld, 28-30 June 2013

This camp comprised 14 athletes and national coaching staff and was the final gathering prior to their tour of the US and Canada to compete in the US World Cup and Canadian Open International Fastpitch Championship.

AIS Scholarships

In September 2012, 20 AIS Scholarships were awarded to members of the Australian Open Women’s Squad. The Scholarships, awarded on a 10 month basis, provided coaching expertise and access to the strength and conditioning facilities of the AIS and the State Sports Academies and Institutes in ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic, WA and SA.

AIS visiting athlete agreements were awarded to five members of the Australian U19 Women’s Squad. The three month agreement was a new initiative for Softball Australia to recognise emerging athletes and athletes returning from the US college system.


TRANSITIONS

Retirements

Nathan Jones, Australian Open Men’s Team

On 20 March 2013, at the conclusion of the ISF XIII Men's World Championship, Australian Open Men's Team Captain, Nathan Jones, formally announced his retirement from international competition.

Player representative number 64, Nathan made his international debut in 2001 at the Doreen Dalton Memorial Tour to New Zealand. Nathan was a member of the Aussie Steelers Team that won a gold medal at the 2009 ISF XII Open Men's World Championships in Saskatoon, Canada and bronze at the 2004 and 2013 ISF World Championships in Christchurch and Auckland, NZ.

Nathan played 128 games for Australia and will be remembered as a great ambassador of our game; his professionalism and outstanding leadership his trademark.

Career Highlights 2013 Captain, Australian Open Men's Team, Aussie Steelers

ISF XIII Open Men's World Championships, Auckland, NZ, bronze medal

2011 Argentina Invitational Tournament, All Star Team

2010 Australian Open Men's Championship, John Reid Shield, WA Champions

2009 ISF XII Open Men's World Championships, Saskatoon, Canada, gold medal

2004 ISF XI Open Men's World Championships, Christchurch, NZ, bronze medal


Michael Gibson, Australian Open Men’s Team

Image courtesy Sportograph

Michael was selected in the Australian Open Men's team to compete at the ISF XIII Men's World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand from 1-10 March 2013. At a training session in January, Michael suffered a shoulder injury which

saw him withdraw from the team.

Michael was first selected as a member of the Aussie Steelers to compete in the Trans-Tasman Challenge in 1999. He wore player cap number 44 and accumulated 87 caps.

Michael was part of the men’s program for almost 15 years and saw the team and culture build beyond expectations.

Michael won a gold medal at the 2009 ISF XII Open Men's World Championships in Saskatoon, Canada and bronze at the 2004 ISF XII World Championship.

Career Highlights

2011 World Championship Qualifier, ACT

2009 ISF XII World Championships, Canada, gold medal

2008 World Championship Qualifier, New Zealand

2006 Pacific Series, Japan

2005 Pacific Series, New Zealand

Vic Guth Tournament, New Zealand

2004 ISF XI World Championships, New Zealand, bronze medal

Hawker International Tri Series, ACT

2000 ISF X World Championships, South Africa

1999 Trans Tasman Challenge, ACT


Vale

Shirley Fogarty

Softball Legend, Shirley Fogarty passed away on the night of Thursday 9 August 2012. During Shirley’s countless years of association with the game of softball, she touched many with her warmth, friendliness, sincerity, enthusiasm and knowledge of the game. Shirley was Player Number 27 for Australia, representing her country from 1952-1960. She was a reserve for the 1965 World Champion team.

Shirley was the first ever player, then statistician, to represent her country. She became the 18th statistician ever to score for Australia when she scored for the Australian men's team in 1992 Men's World Championship. Shirley had an enormous impact on many great Australian players past and present. Her influence on players, coaches and, without a doubt, all the softball community is unsurpassed.

Her contribution to the sport is of a magnitude that can only be matched by a few. Shirley was indeed a true stalwart for the fine traditions of softball. We are deeply saddened to lose such a valued and prominent member of our fraternity


MEMBERSHIP

Our Members

The following snapshot provides a brief statistical picture of traditional membership within our Clubs and Associations Australia-wide. Whilst traditional membership has experienced a small decline nationally, it should be noted that three States, Northern Territory, Tasmania, and Victoria, all experienced growth.

It is also of interest that Western Australia has experienced a decline in membership, but many individuals continue traditional participation with non-affiliate associations. Much hard work is being done by Softball WA to remedy the issues that have led to this situation and we look forward to reporting on advances in this State next year.


Membership Breakdown (cont’d)















Member Satisfaction Survey – 2013

In June, Softball Australia released a Member Satisfaction Survey seeking information in three key areas: demographics, satisfaction levels, and indicators for future initiatives. The aim was to elicit evidence to aid us in building a profile of our membership, measuring satisfaction levels, and providing us with an insight into possible future initiatives. The response was overwhelming and the information provided by hundreds of members is being utilised to better understand our community, identify opportunities to build on our strengths, reduce our weaknesses, and provide our members with fulfilment from their association with the sport.

Some key information derived from the survey include that the most common characteristics of the respondent was a female aged between 35 and 49 years, living in a household as one of a couple with children, earning an annual income in excess of $78,000, who is involved in softball four or more times a week as their first choice sport and for at least 16 years.

When asked of their satisfaction with various aspects of the sport, respondents indicated the following high levels with their most recent experience:

Respondents indicated the following areas were a priority for the sport, with the lowest total the highest priority:


Membership Model

The Membership Review Project Team has overseen the development and near implementation of a number of strategies addressing the key priorities of the National Membership Plan. The Committee’s original tenure is drawing to a close as these key actions are achieved. The last major initiative will be the presentation to the Softball Australia AGM in November 2013 of the final key element of the membership model, the new financial model between Softball Australia and Member States.

Outcomes that have been achieved include:

Identification of two new membership types

Entering of memoranda of understanding with key national partners in softball provision, including School Sport Australia, Australian University Sport (hosts of Australian University Games and Australian Masters Games), and Special Olympics Australia

Drafted a new Membership Policy

Release and alignment of the new national database with existing and proposed softball programs and participant categories

The development of initiatives from the Market Insights project, ‘National Softball Survey and Segmentation Report 2012’

The Future

Softball Australia will proceed with the implementation of the new membership model commencing summer 2013-14, rolling out elements of the model over 12 months. Initially, this will include the introduction of two new individual member types: Off Diamond and Casual. The expectation is that with these changes we can improve our ability to identify and meaningfully engage individuals who are a part of our sport.

Softball Western Australia has undertaken to pilot Little League Softball in Australia and we follow this initiative with great interest and look forward to reporting positively on the impact this program has on recruitment, participation, and retention.

In this last year, Softball Australia also undertook a tender for an insurance and risk management program. The successful brokers, JLT Sport, have also secured the right to table a national proposal for the consideration of all States’ participation. We look forward to advancing this opportunity for the benefit of all members in the coming months.


MEMBER RECOGNITION

2012 Softball Australia Awards and Honours Dinner

The 2012 Softball Australia Awards and Honours Dinner was held at The Grand on Cathies Lane on 2 February 2013 following the conclusion of the Australian Open Women’s Championship, Gilley’s Shield.

Trevor Schorer, President of Softball WA, was Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

There were three very special presentations during the evening – Wendy Braybon (Vic), Carolyn Buttsworth (NSW) and Natalie Titcume (Vic) were formally inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame.

2012 Softball Australia Award Winners

Award Winners State

Junior Male Athlete of the Year Jesse Taws ACT

Junior Female Athlete of the Year Taylah Tsitsikronis NSW

Statistician of the Year Mary Walkinshaw Vic

Administrator of the Year Lisa Anderson Qld

Coach of the Year Kere Johanson

Local Association of the Year North Shore District Softball Association NSW

Indigenous Athlete of the Year Vanessa Stokes SA

Male Athlete of the Year Zenon Winters ACT

Female Athlete of the Year Chelsea Forkin WA

2012 Spirit Award Vanessa Stokes SA

2012 Vivienne Triplett Umpire of the Year Award Helen Strauss Qld

2012 Softball Australia Service Awards

The Softball Australia Service Award recognises significant contributions to softball. It is made to any member (player

or non-player) who has given at least 10 years noteworthy service to softball in Australia.

State Recipients

NSW Ian Barlow, Sue McCahon, Greg Brown, Gordon Foster, Fran Eustace, Brian Higinbottom, Mark Davis, Chris Landry, Joan Jeffries, Bruce Engert, Robyn Burke, Trish Fox, Kel Hannan, Nola Hanes, Ken Hanes, Narelle Smith, Danni Wickens, Rowena Whittle

Qld Mark Jeppesen, Pam Lundy, Mindy Taylor, Christine Challenor, Mary-Anne Ihle, Debbie McLeary, Tina McBain

Vic Richard Barrow, Paul Bonner, Jim Giles, Tracey Reid, Sandra Whelly, Judith Yates


2012 Softball Australia Hall of Fame Inductees

The Softball Australia Hall of Fame was established to recognise outstanding performance both on and off the field. All nominees must meet the selection criteria outlined in the Member Recognition Policy.

In 2012, Softball Australia announced seven females were inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame

Wendy Braybon (Vic) Wendy was appointed as the Australian Open Women’s Team physiotherapist from 1982-2000. During this time, she

attended five World Championships (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) and two Olympic Games. In total, she attended 36 tournaments as the Australian Team physiotherapist. Wendy continually demonstrated the highest professional integrity when dealing with the athletes of the women’s program and was an integral part of athlete wellbeing. Wendy’s knowledge of the sport and her ability to apply that knowledge when treating athletes is second to none.

Carolyn Buttsworth (NSW) Carolyn was appointed the Australian Open Women’s Team statistician from 1998-2008. She attended two World

Championships (1998, 2002) with the team and was an official scorer for the 2000, 2004, 2008 Olympic Games. Carolyn has contributed to the development of the sport through her work on the National Scoring Committee and was the first Australian team scorer to use technology as part of her role.

Tanya Harding (Qld) Tanya represented the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, from 1993-2008, playing 283 games. She is ranked

8th all time for Australian appearances in the women’s program. Tanya competed at four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and four World Championships (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006). She is one of only three players to medal in four Olympic Games, with three bronze medals and one silver medal. Tanya retired from international competition in August 2008.

Sandra Lewis (Qld) Sandra represented the Australian Open Women's Team, Aussie Spirit, from 1997-2008 playing 322 games. She is ranked

5th all time for Australian appearances in the women’s program. Sandra competed at three Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008) and three World Championships (1998, 2002, 2006). She retired from international competition in August 2008.

Melanie Roche (NSW) Melanie represented the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, for 20 years from 1988-2008 playing 229 games.

She is ranked in the top 20 all time for Australian appearances in the women’s program. Melanie competed in four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and four World Championships (1990, 1994, 1998, 2006). She is one of only three players to medal in four Olympic Games, with three bronze medals and one silver medal. Melanie retired from international competition in August 2008.

Natalie Titcume (Vic) Natalie represented the Australian Open Women's Team, Aussie Spirit, from 1994-2008 playing 334 games. She is ranked

3rd all time for Australian appearances in the women’s program. Natalie competed in three Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008) and two World Championships (1998, 2006) and was a travelling reserve for the 1996 Olympic Team. She retired from international competition in 2008.

Natalie Ward (NSW) Natalie is the most capped player in Australian Softball history. She represented the Australian Open Women's Team,

Aussie Spirit, from 1994-2008 playing 429 games for Australia. She competed in four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and four World Championships (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006). Natalie was Captain of the Australian Team from 2005-2008, including captaining Australia at the 2006 World Championships and 2008 Olympic Games. Natalie retired from international competition in August 2008.


COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Indigenous Softball Program

The Indigenous Softball Program this year continued to build and consolidate the new strategy launched nationally in March 2012, achieving even greater outcomes than in previous years.

With the aim of the Indigenous Softball Program to produce positive health and social outcomes by providing female and male Indigenous Australians of all ages and abilities with opportunities to participate in

softball, the Program aims to put within reach all aspects of participation, including as players, coaches, umpires, administrators and volunteers. Through the collaboration and partnership of our Member States, program partners and participating urban, rural, and remote communities, the following outcomes were achieved.

8,345 Indigenous participants involved in Indigenous softball program activities

212 softball program activities delivered to Indigenous participants

325 Indigenous participants involved in managing softball programs and competitions

174 Indigenous participants completed coaching and/or officiating accreditation training

164 Indigenous participants with a disability involved in Indigenous Softball Program activities

ISP State Highlights

Softball NT: NT Softball Championship

The NT Softball Championship, held in Darwin, 3-5 August 2012, was again a huge success. An Indigenous Softball Program State Launch was incorporated into the opening ceremony on the first day. A total of 18 teams participated, which was an increase from the previous year of 16 teams. The women’s teams were split into two divisions (I & II); with two pools of very

competitive teams in division II. A first for the Championship in 2012 was the introduction of a junior competition, which is a fantastic achievement considering there has been no junior softball competition in the Northern Territory for some years.

Another highlight for the Championship was the attendance and involvement of Vanessa Stokes, pitcher with the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, who had only recently returned from the World


Championship, having made a major contribution to the Aussie Spirit’s bronze medal win. Vanessa is much loved by the Indigenous communities and her achievements in softball and her work off the field as a role model is an inspiration to many. Vanessa assisted Softball Australia’s Community Coach, Jenny Cassidy, in the delivery of Kids Zone to over 50 enthusiastic children and two other coaching clinics focusing on pitching and catching during the event. No doubt Vanessa’s involvement in the Championship will inspire more Indigenous children to take up the sport.

Softball SA: SA ISP State Launch

Softball South Australia, in conjunction with the 2013 Softball South Australia October Long Weekend Tournament, held an Indigenous Softball Program State Launch. In line with Softball Australia’s ISP National Strategy, the Launch showcased Softball SA’s commitment to producing positive health outcomes for Indigenous Australians of all ages and abilities with opportunities to participate in softball as players, coaches, umpires, administrators and volunteers.

Softball SA, in partnership with the SANFL, has over the last six years taken increasing responsibility for the ongoing development of the Far North West Sports League softball competition. This competition in the APY Lands, in the north-west corner of South Australia, consists of nine teams catering for over 100 Indigenous female softballers and is largely self-sufficient due to the work of Softball SA and the SANFL increasing the number of coaches and officials. The Launch began with a welcome to country speech by Anthony Wilson from the SANFL and was attended by key dignitaries from federal, state and local government, in addition to representatives of the SANFL, Far North West Sports League and Softball Australia. Also in attendance were Indigenous role model and Aussie Spirit player, Vanessa Stokes, and an U17 representative team from the APY Lands, who were also competing in the October Long Weekend Tournament.

The Launch included speeches by Softball SA Chairman, Steve Trzcinski, David Hutton from the SANFL, Federal Member for Hindmarsh Steve Georganas and SA Minister for Indigenous Affairs Paul Ciara. Steve Trzcinski acknowledged the SANFL for their ongoing support and partnership, which has

achieved fantastic outcomes, including an APY Lands primary school representative team playing in the annual SA Primary School Sport softball tournament, and an APY Lands player being selected to represent

SA in the National Championships. Much to the delight of the attendees, in particular the U17 APY Lands team, Vanessa Stokes also spoke about her background, development playing for the SA Starz and pathway into the Aussie Spirit team, which she contributes to a lot of hard work, determination and a support network which includes her mother, who inspired her to play softball from an early age.

At the conclusion of the speeches, dignitaries were invited to watch the APY Lands first match against Port Adelaide.

Softball WA: WA ISP State Launch

Softball WA held their Indigenous Softball Program State Launch during Round 1 of the Australian Open Women’s Championship, Gilley’s Shield, to showcase their commitment in providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians of all ages, gender and abilities. Trevor Schorer, Softball WA President, welcomed guests who were enthralled by an exhibition match between a team of girls from the Western Desert and a WA All Star team.

Over the past year, Softball WA has worked with Indigenous communities in Port Hedland, Kiwirrkurra, Jigalong, Busselton and Bunbury, using softball as a vehicle for increasing participation and physical activity in the communities.

Softball for All Abilities SCCP Course for Special School teachers

Softball Australia, in partnership with Special Olympics Australia, Special Olympics Victoria, and Softball Victoria, delivered a Softball Community Coaching

Program course to 16 teachers from 10 Special Schools from southern and eastern metropolitan Melbourne.

The course was held at the Glen Eira Softball Association and delivered by National Community


Coach, and SBU Coordinator, Joanne Paez. The course is designed to teach participants how to deliver fun, engaging and inclusive activities for all ability levels utilising the ‘Game Sense’ approach. The feedback from the Special School teachers was extremely positive, with discussion centring on how activities can be modified for children of all abilities utilising the CHANGE IT approach. The teachers particularly enjoyed taking part in the activities and appreciated the resources that were provided. Initiatives of this kind aim to increase opportunities for people with a disability to participate in softball and ensure their experience is positive and long lasting.

Softball for All Cultures Softball Australia’s involvement in the City of Monash Let’s All Play Program

Softball Australia, Softball Victoria, and Monash City Council partnered with Sport without Borders to deliver a series of Kids Zones in October 2012 and May 2013. The programs formed part of the Monash City Council’s Active Monash Day and the Let’s All Play program. Other sports, including netball, athletics, tennis, Australian Rules Football, and soccer also participated in the program, which was delivered to a total of 120 children aged 12-16 years from participating local schools, including Wellington and South Oakleigh Secondary Schools. Activities were delivered by national and state sporting associations and local sporting clubs, including Waverly Softball Association. The Program, hosted at Jells Park, aims to introduce

students from newly arrived, migrant and refugee backgrounds to local sports as a strategy of breaking down barriers that may exist for these communities to participate in local sport.

OzPitch – Recreational Slowpitch Softball

In 2012-13 Softball Australia reintroduced OzPitch, the national Recreational Slowpitch Program supporting a number of Member States, Clubs and Associations running slowpitch competitions. Over 478 participants took part in the registered slowpitch competitions.

OzPitch is a social recreational program that aims to attract new participants to the sport, in addition to retaining current members looking for a more relaxed softball experience.

Manly Warringah Softball Association, in Brookvale NSW, was one such Association who registered as part of the National OzPitch Program. Their five round competition was held from 26 October – 30 November and attracted a total of 61 players in six teams. Games were played under lights, which helped create a great social atmosphere and with Softball Australia’s support, the Association was able to provide participants with suitable equipment, including modified soft-stitch softballs, OzPitch drink holders and trophies.

OzPitch, and other variations of the game, will continue to be a focus as Softball Australia seeks to support innovative program development responsive

to participant interest.


COACHING

Softball Australia continues to prioritise the development of coaching resources to allow coaches to provide a positive softball experience. This past year, particularly, the focus has been on grassroots coaching.

An exciting development this year was the redefinition of the Coach Accreditation pathway to include the Softball Community Coaching Program and Softball Batter Up. There is now a clear pathway for the beginner coach who has completed a Softball Community Coaching Program to transition through to formalised accreditation pathways. Softball Australia has also developed flexible delivery options for the new coach to attain Level 1 accreditation.

Coaches who undertake a Softball Community Coaching Program and the technical elements of the Level 1 FUNdamentals of Softball, which run parallel

with the Softball Batter Up Program, will now become a Level 1 accredited coach.

Accreditation and Professional Development

The Level 2 “Training to Train” accreditation material has been updated and the Level 3 “Training to Compete” accreditation material has been completed. The resources for the Level 3 program include a CD/DVD with Participant’s Guide, Assessment Booklet and Facilitator’s Guide. The ASC’s Intermediate General Principles were adopted as part of the Level 4 and Level 5 coaching accreditation; this is a core requirement for these levels.

The ASC’s Sports Accreditation Online registers coach and official accreditation records and sport information. In December, the ASC announced that management of the system would be the responsibility

of national sporting organisations. In consultation with Member States, Softball Australia will now be responsible for uploading details and producing certificates, accreditation cards and renewals. This new process has resulted in a cost reduction to Member States.


Coaching Breakdown

Across the country, 37 coaching accreditation courses were conducted. This was achieved through flexible delivery, face-to-face and online learning options. The total number of accredited coaches at 30 June 2013 is 2,184, a 6% increase on 2012. These figures break down as follows:

National ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA

Level 1 1,060 11 661 7 184 12 134 51

Level 2 542 10 383 1 88 3 2 37 18

Level 3 482 11 311 9 62 7 4 73 5

Level 4 50 2 30 14 2 1 1

Level 5 48 4 18 2 9 10 5

Level 6 2 1 1

Total 2,184 38 1,404 17 351 33 7 254 80


Coaching Breakdown (cont’d)








Coaching and Team Manager Appointments

At the 2012 International Youth Cup, the following coaches were appointed to Australian development teams:

Team Coach Team Officials

Australian U19 Women Shane Hughes (WA) Chantelle James (WA) Annette Fidge (SA)

Australian Gold U19 Girls Janell Brehendt (SA) Maurice Paraha (Qld)

Faye Guy (Qld) – Manager Lindy Rattigan (SA) – Statistician Mary Magarey (SA) – Physiotherapist

Australian Green U19 Girls Kevin Jenkins (Qld) Andrew Preiss (SA)

Annette Tsitsikronis (NSW) – Manager Danielle Tape – Physiotherapist Lindy Rattigan (SA) – Statistician

Australian U17 Development Vicki Bingley (ACT) Bill Holland (NSW) Leslie Claxton (SA) Cheryl Waye (Vic)

Sandra Edmondson (Qld) – Manager Sean Francis (Qld) – Statistician Sam Poole (NSW) – Physiotherapist

Australian U17 Boys Kathy Horton (NSW) Australian U17 Green Boys James Harris (SA)

Eliza O’Leary (NSW) Rowena Toppenberg (Qld) – Physiotherapist Ian Deany (Vic) – Manager

Australian U17 Gold Boys Sandra Evans (Vic) Alan McNulty (NSW) Rob Cook (SA)

Toby Moen – Physiotherapist Ian Deany (Vic) – Manager

The Future

Complete the Level 4 “Training to Win” coach accreditation course, including pitching and catching, base-running and defensive strategies

Deliver the Level 4 course online

Develop the Level 5 “Advanced Performance” coach accreditation manual

Image courtesy Donkin Gook Photography


SCORING

The National Scoring Committee (NSC) has continued to support national events across Australia with statisticians providing results web reporting and official statistics for Softball Australia, selectors and teams. The NSC has also supported the States with reference materials for their ongoing training.

Management of Softball Australia’s National Scoring Program is overseen by the National Scoring Committee, comprising:

Chief Statistician Mike Hannelly (NSW) (retired in February 2013) Ngaire Huston (Qld) (appointed May 2013)

Scoring staff Kirsty Andrews (Qld) Sandra Palmer (NSW) Chris Trengove (Vic) Lindy Rattigan (SA) Carolyn Buttsworth (resigned April 2013) Mary Walkinshaw (resigned August 2012)

State Directors of Scoring Lyn Lalas (ACT) Kaye Greggs (NSW) Matt Denkel (Qld) Lorraine Davies (Vic) Lindy Rattigan (SA) Lynne Eltoft (WA)

The NSC, supported, by Softball Australia, has undertaken significant work, holding three teleconferences in September, November and March. Key projects include re-accreditation, operating national events and quality assurance.

International Scoring Appointments

The following statisticians were appointed to international championships:

2012 Open Women’s Tour: ISF XIII Women’s World Fastpitch Championship and World Cup of Softball VII

Mary Walkinshaw (Vic)

2013 ISF XIII Men’s World Championship Auckland, NZ Helen Edwards (Vic)

2012 ISF IX Junior Men’s World Championship, Parana, Argentina Lindy Rattigan (SA)

Kirsty Andrews (Qld) and Carolyn Buttsworth (NSW) were also appointed in May 2013 to Australian teams, which travelled in July 2013. Kirsty was appointed to the Australian U19 Women’s Team, Aussie Pride, for the World Championship, her second World Championship with the team. Carolyn was appointed to the Australian Open Women’s Team, Aussie Spirit, for their North American/Canada tour.


Accreditation and Professional Development NOAS Accreditations – Australian Sports Commission

The total number of accredited scorers is 1,195 at 30 June 2013, a decrease of 454 on 2012.

[Reference ASC Database]

Level Total ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA

Level 1 853 10 486 1 51 63 27 111 104

Level 2 195 7 74 15 24 4 53 18

Level 3 76 2 37 11 5 1 19 1

Level 4 74 2 23 25 2 3 11 8

Total 1,198 21 620 1 102 94 35 194 131


Scoring Breakdown


Scoring Breakdown (cont’d)






Courses Delivered – State Summaries

Course delivered Total ACT NSW Qld SA Vic Tas WA

Level 1 33 - 13 12 3 2 2 1

Level 2 21 - 5 9 3 2 - 2

Level 3 3 - 1 1 - 1 -

Level 4 2 - 1 1 - - -

iScore 2 - 1 1 3


Level 4 candidates for period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 Diana Oakes (NSW), Karen Beckett (NSW), Kim McGovern (ACT), Stacey McDonald (Vic)

National Quality Assurance Program Quality assurance is undertaken following all national games, assessing both paper scoring, and electronic methods:

Esther Deason Shield Australian U17 Girls’ Championship (NSW)

46 games played, 12 scorers reviewed

Arthur Allsopp Shield Australian U17 Boys’ Championship (Tas)


Elinor McKenzie Shield Australian U19 Women’s Championship (ACT)


Nox Bailey Shield Australian U19 Men’s Championship (WA)


John Reid Shield Australian Open Men’s Championship (ACT)

34 games played, 10 scorers reviewed Two Level 4 exams conducted

Gilley’s Shield and Edebone-Weber Shield Australian Open Women’s Championship

88 games played, 24 scorers reviewed (includes Test Series and All Star Game)

Australian Championship Chief Statistician Appointments

The following Chief Statisticians were appointed for the 2012-13 Australian Championships:

Gilley’s Shield and Edebone-Weber Shield Australian Open Women’s Championship

Chris Trengove (Vic), TCS Lynne Eltoft (WA), Venue TCS Round 1 Lindy Rattigan (SA), Venue TCS Round 2 Kaye Greggs (NSW), Venue TCS Round 3 Ray Carter (Vic), Venue TCS Round 4 and Finals

Esther Deason Shield Australian U17 Girls’ Championship (NSW)

Kaye Greggs (NSW)

Arthur Allsopp Shield Australian U17 Boys’ Championship (Tas)

Sandra Palmer (NSW)

Elinor McKenzie Shield Australian U19 Women’s Championship (ACT)

Kerryn Bell (Vic)

Nox Bailey Shield Australian U19 Men’s Championship (WA)

Lynne Eltoft (WA)

John Reid Shield Australian Open Men’s Championship

Allison Pendelbury (Vic)


Resources

The NSC addressed the following over the past 12 months:

Review of the accreditation resources to align with the full review of the manuals – a key focus for 2013-2014

Development of the 2013 Rules Scoring exam

Review, update and distribution of the Level 4 practical exam

Recognition

The NSC congratulates Mary Walkinshaw (Vic), the winner of the Statistician of the Year, and Carolyn Buttsworth, inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame.

The future

Meet with State Directors to review and standardise training manuals

Review accreditation system to better recognise the technical capabilities of scorers

Accreditation programs to be updated to reflect changes to the scoring manuals

Image courtesy Donkin Gook Photography


UMPIRING

Internationally, Australia still continues to make significant contributions with Leigh Evans, Darren Sibraa and Tricia Sibraa working with the ISF Standards Sub-Committee to review and help in the technical presentation and rules. The National Umpiring Committee (NUC) submitted a recommendation to ISF for umpire to umpire crew signals for the number of outs to be introduced internationally through the ISF training manual.

On the domestic scene, the NUC provided recommendations and amendments to the Australian Championship Regulations. During the 2011-2013 Australian Championships, the major changes proposed and implemented were the alignment with ISF Pitching Rules and the automatic one game suspension of an ejected participant.

The National Umpiring Program (NUP) continues to be held in high regard on the international scene and the NUC was delighted when seven umpires were appointed to ISF World Championships during the year.

ISF XIII Men’s World Championship, Auckland, NZ in March 2013

Darren Sibraa (Qld) was appointed as the 3rd base umpire in the gold medal game

Scott Rindfleish (NSW)

Leigh Evans (Vic)

Patricia Sibraa (Qld) was appointed as one of the Assistant Umpire in Chief

XIII Women’s World Championship, Yukon, Canada in July 2012

Debbie Grove (Vic)

Diane Waller (Vic) was appointed as the 3rd base umpire in the gold medal game.


IX Junior Men’s World Championship in Parana, Argentina, October 2012

Kevin Broomhall (Vic) was appointed to the rightfield line in the gold medal game.

The State Umpiring Directors meeting was held in Softball Australia’s office in October 2012 with a focus on professional development through the establishment of personal development plans and mentors. The key outcome was the commitment to develop a national umpire Recruitment and Retention Policy.

Management

The NUC comprises:

Umpires-in-Chief: Patricia Sibraa (Qld) Operations/UIC – Operations, Leigh Evans (Vic) Technical, Debbie Grove (Vic), Development, Amanda Houison (NSW), Communications

Four national umpiring staff: Darren Sibraa (Qld), Kyira Cox (NSW), Bridget Cameron (Qld) and Yvonne Kahler (Qld)

Eight State Umpiring Directors: Scott Rindfleish (NSW), Darren Sibraa (Qld), Alex Turnbull (ACT), Richard Barrow (Vic), Wayne Clarke (Tas), Neville Lawrance (SA), Roy Cox (WA).

The NUC is supported by Softball Australia and meets regularly to advance key projects:

Umpire Recognition

Congratulations to Helen Strauss (Qld) the winner of the Vivienne Triplett Umpire of the Year for 2012.

Accreditation and Professional Development

The Level 3 and Level 4 Umpire Manual, finalised in 2012, was submitted to the ASC for accreditation with the National Officiating Accreditation Scheme, and the Level 3 and Level 4 Assessors Manual was submitted for approval. Significant progress has been made developing a Community Umpiring Program Manual. The purpose of this Program is to create a

framework that supports and develops volunteer and beginner umpires and to provide the tools to support them both on and off the diamond. The Manual is due for completion by December 2013.

The total number of active accredited umpires is 1,248 (30 June 2013), a decrease of 7 on 2012:

Umpiring National ACT NSW NT SA Qld Tas Vic WA

Level 1 789 10 148 12 46 309 8 219 37

Level 2 231 9 31 6 30 82 3 45 25

Level 3 110 4 24 0 10 28 4 19 21

Level 4 44 1 6 1 5 19 2 4 6

Level 5 20 2 5 0 2 7 0 4 0

Level 6 41 2 12 0 3 10 0 13 1

Level 7 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1

Level 8 9 2 0 3 1 0 3 0

Total 1,248 29 228 19 99 457 17 308 91


The following umpires attained accreditation at the conclusion of their respective Australian Championships:

Level 5 accreditation Esther Deason Shield, Australian U17 Girls’ Championship David Addlem (Vic), Janelle Hicks (Qld)

Level 6 accreditation Gilley's Shield and Edebone-Weber Shield, Australian Open Women's Championship George Norrish (NSW), Stephen Wallace-Yarrow (SA), Chris Trengove (Vic), Stuart Tyler (Vic)

Nox Bailey Shield, Australian U19 Men's Championship Ryan Thorneycroft (Vic)

Umpiring Exam

In May 2013, a total of 297 umpires sat the 2013 National Rules Exam, a 13% decrease from 2012.

ACT – 17 umpires sat the exam, a 30% increase from last year

NSW – 80 umpires sat the exam, a 20% decrease from last year

NT – 0 umpires sat the exam, same as last year

Qld – 68 umpires sat the exam, a 8% increase from last year

SA – 46 umpires sat the exam, a 10% decrease from last year

Tas – 16 umpires sat the exam, a 30% increase from last year

Vic – 48 umpires sat the exam, an 18% decrease from last year

WA – 26 umpires sat the exam, a 38% decrease from last year

The NUP uses a database of more than 2,000 questions complied by Leigh Evans (Vic), with support from Darrell Shephard (NSW), Darren Sibraa (Qld), Scott Rindfleish (NSW) and Alan McAuliffe (SA). The process was convened by the ISF Development umpires, supervised by Darren Sibraa (Qld) and supported by Richard Barrow (Vic) and Alex Turnbull (ACT).


Supplementary Exams and Deferred Exams

The NUP has a flexible exam process that allows umpires who have extenuating reasons for not being available on exam night, to apply through their State Director of Umpires for a deferred exam. They can also apply to sit a supplementary exam if they do not achieve the required pass by up to two marks.

Deferred exams Supplementary exams

ACT x 2. 1 passed, 1 failed SA x 1 passed

Qld x 1 passed Vic x 1 passed

WA x 1 passed

Basic Exam

The ability to allow Level 1 and 2 umpires to sit the basic exam continues to provide greater flexibility and an easier pathway for umpire development. This exam is aimed at a basic, every day grassroots game level. Softball Australia again used ISF Development umpires to set the Basic Exam, which has a development effect on the program. Darren Sibraa (Qld) supervised the process and was assisted by Richard Barrow (Vic) and Alex Turnbull (ACT). The NUP uses a database of over 2,000 questions to set the national exam.

Victoria reported 26 umpires sat the basic exam, 38% down on the previous year. No other State statistics were available.

Five Year Trend


Exam Analysis

The data collected will help assess rules training requirements and identify the active and non-active umpires for the currency and accreditation requirements for the ASC, in particular the level 0-2 umpires using the basic exam. The NUC acknowledges Darren Sibraa (Qld) for providing support and feedback on the technical aspects of the program, and Alan McAuliffe (SA), Darryl Shephard (NSW) and Scott Rindfleish (NSW) for help and support in delivering the technical stream of the NUP.

Umpiring Appointments

Australian Championship Appointments

During the 2012-2013 Australian Championships, the following umpiring appointments were made:

Gilley's, Edebone-Weber Shield Round 1 Mirrabooka, WA

Diane Waller (Vic) TCU, Jason Carter (Vic), David Datson (SA), Warren Duff (WA), Yvonne Kahler (Qld), Damien McCauley (SA), Andrew McManus (NZ), George Norrish (NSW), Andrew Rindfleish (NSW), Helen Strauss (Qld), Steve Suckling (WA), Steve Wallace-Yarrow (SA), Phil Waller (Vic)

Gilley’s, Edebone-Weber Shield Round 2 West Beach, SA

Debbie Grove (Vic) TCU, Richard Barrow (Vic), David Casey (Qld), Warren Duff (WA), David Datson (SA), Mark Gallagher (ACT), Jay Gibson (NSW), Stephen Gutteridge (Qld), Neville Lawrance (SA), Damien McCauley (SA), Trevor Murphy (Vic), Darrell Paul (NZ), Martin Turnbull (Qld), Stuart Tyler (Vic)

Gilley’s, Edebone-Weber Shield Round 3 Blacktown, NSW

Richard Barrow (Vic), Mark Gallagher (ACT), Leanne Gearside (NSW), Debbie Grove (Vic), Stephen Gutteridge (Qld), Amanda Houison (NSW), Yvonne Kahler (Qld), Neville Lawrance (SA), George Norrish (NSW), Helen Strauss (Qld), Chris Trengove (Vic), Stuart Tyler (Vic), Jeff Webster (NZ)

Esther Deason Shield Australian U17 Girls’ Championship Blacktown, NSW

Darren Sibraa (Qld) TCU, David Addlem (Vic), James English (NSW), Leanne Gearside (NSW), Stephen Gutteridge (Qld), Janelle Hicks (Qld), Amanda Houison (NSW) part-time, Sarah Houston (ACT), Yvonne Kahler (Qld), Vicki Lansley (NSW), George Norrish (NSW), Chris Trengove (Vic), Phil Waller (Vic), Haydyn Wood ( SA)

Arthur Allsopp Shield

Australian U17 Boys’ Championship Launceston, Tas

Debbie Grove (Vic) TCU, Bridget Cameron (Qld), Jason Carter (Vic), David Casey (Qld), Kyira Cox (NSW), Richard Dodds (Vic), Mark Gallagher (ACT), Jamie Harries (Qld), Ron Houison (NSW), Norelle Thomas (Qld), Ryan Thorneycroft (Vic), Steve Wallace-Yarrow (SA)

Elinor McKenzie Shield Australian U19 Women’s Championship Hawker, ACT

Diane Waller (Vic) TCU, James English (NSW), Leanne Gearside (NSW), Jay Gibson (NSW), Jamie Harries (Qld), Sarah Houston (ACT), Amanda Houison (NSW), Vicki Lansley (NSW), Neville Lawrance (SA), Jana McCaskill (Qld), Darrell Shephard (NSW), Steve Wallace-Yarrow (SA), Haydyn Wood (SA)

Nox Bailey Shield

Australian U19 Men's Championship Mirrabooka, WA

Darren Sibraa (Qld) TCU, Richard Barrow (Vic), Jason Carter (Vic), David Casey (Qld), Ron Houison (NSW), Trevor Murphy (Vic), Scott Rindfleish (NSW), Jesse Smith (NSW), Ryan Thorneycroft (Vic), Mark Toft (Qld), Alex Turnbull (ACT), Phil Waller (Vic)

Gilley’s Shield Final Waverley, Vic

Kevin Broomhall (Vic) TCU, Bridget Cameron (Qld), Kyira Cox (NSW), Warren Duff (WA), Leanne Gearside (NSW), Debbie Grove (Vic), Yvonne Kahler (Qld), Helen Strauss (Qld), Diane Waller (Vic), Howard Watt (NSW)

John Reid Shield Australian Open Men’s Hawker, ACT

Patricia Sibraa (Qld) TCU, David Beaumont (NZ), David Casey (Qld), Jason Carter (Vic), Leigh Evans (Vic), Mark Gallagher (ACT), Debbie Grove (Vic), Trevor Murphy (Vic), Andrew Rindfleish (NSW), Darren Sibraa (Qld), Jesse Smith (NSW), Ryan Thorneycroft (Vic), Alex Turnbull (ACT)


International Umpiring Appointments

Leigh Evans (Vic) and Darren Sibraa (Qld) represented Australia on the ISF Standards Committee to review and assist with the technical presentation and rules.

Kyira Cox (NSW) was appointed to the 2013 Women’s Open Club Championship, Wellington, New Zealand, 13-18 March.

Richard Barrow (Vic) was appointed to the 2013 New Zealand Men’s Open Club Championship, Christchurch, 19-24 March.

2012 International Youth Cup Appointments

The Softball Australia International Youth Series Tournament, 2-6 July was staffed by 31 umpires from New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand. Fifty-six round games with an additional 32 semi-final series games were played.

Full Time Umpires

NSW Vicki Lansey, Robert McIntosh, James Townsend, Joe Kellermier, Brook Whitfield Todd Winsor, Katrina Bulmer

SA Steve Wallace-Yarrow

Vic Brett Tyler, Lucy James

NZ Judi Leaper, Andrew McManus

Part-Time Umpires

NSW Greg Baker, Andy Birks, Andrew Compton, Kyria Cox, Rhett Eldred, Mat Guillaumier, Myles Lego, Jim Long, Wayne McGrath, Narelle McIntosh, Shane McIntosh, Dermot O’Daly, Megan South, Thomas Sutumo, Krissi Travers, Colin Tutt, John Walker, Bree Watt

Tournament Chief Umpire, Leanne Gearside (NSW), was assisted by Ryan Thorneycroft (Vic), Mark Toft (Qld) and Kevin Tannebring (SA). Video recordings taken during the tournament were used to assess performance and provide feedback to individual umpires.

The Men’s Youth Cup grand final was umpired by Andrew McManus (plate), Brett Tyler (1st base) and James Townsend (3rd base), while Robert McIntosh (plate), Steve Wallace-Yarrow (1st base) and Brooke Whitfield (3rd base) umpired the Women’s Youth Cup final.


2012 Australian Regional U15 Championships

The 2012 Australian Regional U15 Championships were held at Rockhampton, Queensland, 9-13 July. Tournament Chief Umpire, Alex Turnbull (ACT), was supported by deputies Yvonne Kahler (Qld) and Haydyn Wood (SA).

Development umpires

NSW Alf Chapman, Mark Wareham, Narelle McIntosh, Shane McIntosh, Linda White

Qld Peter Baxter, Allan Goerg, Garry Wright, Brian MacPherson, Chris Goffer

Vic Kian Privitera

Umpire Recognition

Congratulations to Helen Strauss (Qld), the winner of the Vivienne Triplett Umpire of the Year for 2012.

The Future

Review the umpire development plan, which is one component of the umpire’s development pathway that will ensure all umpires have the skills and necessary experience to progress from club to international level

Review International Rule Congress changes from other Federations

After the September 2014 ISF Congress, publish Umpire Technical and Mechanics Bulletins to ensure that all

umpires are aware of all rule and umpire mechanics changes


SOFTBALL COMMUNITY COACHING

PROGRAM

The Softball Community Coaching Program (SCCP) is an initiative funded through the ASC to provide coaches and facilitators with the appropriate instruction to deliver meaningful activities using the ‘Game Sense’ approach with a focus on participation.

One of the key objectives for SCCP is to build a coaching workforce with the appropriate skills and training to deliver community-based programs, such as:

Softball Batter Up

Indigenous Softball Program

Programs for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities

Disability Softball Program

Club and association fun days and come ‘n’ try days

Our main objective is to increase the number of coaches in softball, but also up-skill our 2,400 accredited coaches, educating them on the ‘Game Sense’ approach.

Participants taking part in the SCCP are introduced to new approaches to delivery, supported by a series of Activity Cards. There are four components to the Cards: Starters, Focus, Winding Down and Attention Grabbers. Each of the four areas focuses on a different component of the game.

In 2012-13, SCCP engaged over 500 participants through the rollout of training, contributing to the success of other initiatives, such as the SBU program, with coaches in the community up-skilled to deliver quality programs.

The following table represents the participant numbers in each State:

ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA

5 280 1 110 30 33 65 25

Website

The SCCP website, launched on 30 May is designed to provide coaches with information and support their knowledge to deliver a fun, fast, exciting program. The website is interactive giving users the ability to register online for courses, access coaching information and upload and create sessions based on their own ideas.

After successful completion of the SCCP, participants receive a membership card with a unique username giving them access to online resources; including activity videos, create your own session functionality with access to a library of activities, the ability to design and share your own activities, and much more.

The SCCP website will be updated on a regular basis with new coaching ideas and information. www.softballcoach.com.au

The Future

Work is currently underway on Activity Cards – Series 2, which will have a focus on throwing and catching games. This will give the coaches more activity games and ideas to deliver programs with a focus on further skill areas of softball. Series 2 will be available for purchase in the next financial year to participants who have completed an initial SCCP presentation session.



SOFTBALL BATTER UP

There have been many enhancements to the Softball Batter Up (SBU) program over the last 12 months.

The inclusion of the School Module has provided a great opportunity for local Clubs and Associations to offer support and direct assistance to schools interested in conducting SBU. The Module includes a CD containing 32 Lesson Plans and a complimentary Teachers Manual. This resource assists the teacher to deliver a fun, active and engaging softball program without having to be an experienced softball coach. It also ensures that the participant’s first softball experience is a positive one, which may aid transition to club and association softball.

The activities within the Lesson Plans have been separated into 130 individual Activity Cards that can be downloaded, free of charge, by SBU providers. The Card format is consistent with SCCP Activity Cards, but with a greater focus on skill development, which will provide SBU coaches with the flexibility to mix and match to develop their own SBU sessions.

Softball NSW made major progress with SBU this year. Cathy Kerr and Jody Neilsen took to the road to speak with their affiliates about implementing SBU. As a

result, 22 affiliates introduced SBU as part of their Tee Ball competition. Each association conducted First Base

Lesson Plans before the Christmas break and Second Base after the break. Each session was followed by a modified game of Tee Ball. A great initiative was the introduction of brightly coloured SBU Tee shirts and caps. The participants looked fantastic and attracted a lot of attention.

Softball Batter Up has been conducted in various formats across each of the States and Territories. Vicki Bingley, Softball ACT, delivered the program in school hours and also delivered a successful school holiday program in April.

Softball Queensland is planning the rollout of SBU, which will replace Simple Softball as their junior recruitment program.

In South Australia, Bob Nicholson and his team delivered SBU to more than 440 participants through the Active After-School Communities (AASC) program.

Softball Victoria conducted a number of successful programs during 2012-13, ongoing initiatives are on hold while the organisation undertakes a restructure and the softball development position is revised. However, two Associations in particular – Geelong and Waverley – made further inroads for their local programs. During

September, the Geelong Softball Association, in


conjunction with their local AASC providers, hosted 240 children for a softball Gala Day, which was a huge success and resulted in a number of children transitioning into the local competition. The Association also received an AASC grant of $1,700 for SBU equipment.

The Waverley Softball Association conducted a successful school holiday program in September and also introduced SBU as part of their Tee Ball program.

Softball Tasmania, under the guidance of Ev Seabourne, conducted their first school holiday program in June. While the initial numbers were modest, the program was a great success with all participants and their parents keen to return.

Kids Zone

Kids Zone, the event-based stream of SBU, is designed

to be delivered at one-off special events, creating a fun, carnival-like atmosphere. Kids Zone was delivered to a much wider audience this year with over 800 participants in a variety of environments including the Australian Open Women’s Championship, Gilley’s Shield, Southern Cross Challenge, Special Olympics, Sport without Borders, family fun days and in Indigenous communities.

To assist our members to deliver a successful Kids Zone experience for their participants, Softball Australia developed a Kids Zone Operations Manual.

ACHPER State Conference

During November, Softball Australia and Softball Victoria had the opportunity to present at the ACHPER State Conference in Melbourne. The teachers were treated to a sample of SBU, SCCP and Level 1 coaching activities, enthusiastically presented by Jenny Cassidy, National Community Coach. The teachers, many of them with no previous exposure to softball, had a fantastic time and were keen to learn more about the Lesson Plans, which could be delivered during school hours.

The Future

One of the challenges Softball Australia face in the future roll out of SBU in the States and Territories is the lack of human resources to deliver the program. While everyone agrees SBU is a great program, a number of our Member States have limited resources and competing priorities. The value of being able to meet face to face with Clubs and Associations cannot be underestimated and this was a major contributing factor to the successful rollout in NSW.

SCCP provides an ideal background for the delivery of SBU, providing the coaching knowledge required to conduct a program like SBU. With the focus on delivery into the schools, Softball Australia will be working to establish connections within the tertiary sector to expose future primary school teachers to SCCP and

SBU. An important step will be to align the Lesson Plans with the new national curriculum to be released in early 2014.

Whether a child’s first exposure to softball is in the school or club environment, it is important that it is an enjoyable one. SBU has all the essential elements to deliver a great program to our potential budding young softballers.

.


INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

US WORLD CUP OF SOFTBALL VII OKLAHOMA CITY, USA, 28 JUNE – 2 JULY 2012

Team

Jodie Bowering (Qld), Michelle Cox (NSW), Brenda De Blaes (ACT), Chelsea Forkin (WA), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Stacey McManus (NSW), Zara Mee (NSW), Aimee Murch (ACT), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Stacey Porter (NSW), Justine Smethurst (Vic), Jodie Stevenson (WA), Vanessa Stokes (SA), Clare Warwick (ACT), Melinda Weaver (Qld), Belinda White (SA)

Reserves

Georgia Casey* (NSW), Clare Currie (ACT), Sandra Holden (Qld), Christina Kreppold (WA), Jocelyn McCallum (Qld)

*Kym Tollenaere was replaced as a reserve by Georgia Casey due to injury

Team Officials

Head Coach – Kere Johanson (Qld), Assistant Coach – Kelly Hardie (Qld), Assistant Coach – Kerrie Porter (NSW), Assistant Coach – Sarah Lockett (resides USA), Team Manager – Chris Clough (NSW), Physiotherapist – Michael Oostryck (WA), Statistician – Mary Walkinshaw (Vic)

Results Final Placings

Australia 11 v Brazil 1 1 USA

Australia 7 v Canada 6 2 Australia

Australia 1 v USA 3 3 Canada

Australia 6 v Puerto Rico 2 4 Netherlands

Australia 4 v Netherlands 0 5 Puerto Rico

Australia 0 v USA 3 6 Brazil

CANADIAN OPEN FASTPITCH INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP VANCOUVER, CANADA, 4-9 JULY, 2012

Results Final Placings Awards

Australia 13 v Puerto Rico 0 1 Japan Clare Warwick was named in All Star team at shortstop

Australia 2 v Japan 7 2 USA

Australia 0 v USA 7 3 Australia

Australia 3 v Canada 5 4 Canada

Australia 6 v Venezuela 2 5 Venezuela

Australia 7 v New Zealand 0 6 New Zealand

Australia 0 v USA 2 7 Puerto Rico

Australia 0 v USA 2


XIII ISF WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WHITEHORSE, YUKON, CANADA 13-22 JULY 2012

Results Play Offs Final Placings

Australia 1 v Japan 3 Australia 12 v Puerto Rico 0 1 Japan

Australia 11 v Italy 1 Australia 5 v China 4 2 USA

Australia 10 v Mexico 2 Australia 3 v Canada 1 3 Australia

Australia 5 v New Zealand 1 Australia 0 v Japan 2 4 Canada

Australia 6 v Chinese Taipei 0 5 China

Australia 0 v Canada 2 6 Netherlands

Australia 8 v Great Britain 0 7 Chinese Taipei

8 Puerto Rico

9 Czech Republic

10 Italy

11 Great Britain

12 Venezuela

13 New Zealand

14 Argentina

15 South Africa

16 Mexico

OPEN MEN’S INTERNATIONAL SERIES CANBERRA, ACT, 22-25 FEBRUARY 2013

Team Cameron Bint (NSW), Tim Crome (ACT), David Edwards* (Vic), Adam Folkard (ACT), Jeff Goolagong (ACT), Mark Harris (WA), Andrew Havercroft (WA), Adam Humble (WA), Nathan Jones (WA), Kris Kiefel (Vic), Andrew Kirkpatrick (ACT), Nick Norton (ACT), Nick Shailes (Qld), Joel Southam (NSW), Michael Tanner (ACT), James Todhunter (NSW), Zenon Winters

(ACT)

Reserves Neal Delpero (WA), Shaun Goffer (Qld), Drew Faulkner (Vic) *Michael Gibson (ACT) was replaced by David Edwards due to injury

Team Officials Head Coach – Bob Harrow, Assistant Coach, Battery – Loran Algar (Qld), Assistant Coach – Kere Johanson (Qld), Assistant Coach – Darrin Hebditch (ACT), Team Manager – Michael Titheradge (WA), Physiotherapist – Bernie Simai (Vic), Statistician – Helen Edwards (Vic)

Results

Australia 7 v ACT 0

Australia 2 v ACT 3

Australia 5 v NSW Tropics 1

Australia 10 v NSW Tropics 0

Australia 2 v Japan 0

Australia 6 v Japan 2


XIII ISF MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1-10 MARCH 2013

Team Delegate

Head of Delegation – Dennis Cullen, Softball Australia Chairman


Australia 6 v United States 0 Australia 4 v New Zealand 5 1 New Zealand

Australia 10 v Indonesia 0 Australia 4 v Japan 0 2 Venezuela

Australia 7 v Great Britain 0 Australia 2 v Argentina 1 3 Australia

Australia 9 v South Africa 1 Australia 0 v Venezuela 2 4 Argentina

Australia 5 v Venezuela 0 5 Canada

Australia 3 v Samoa 2 6 Japan

Australia 8 v Czech Republic 2 7 Samoa

8 United States

9 Great Britain

10 Colombia

11 Czech Republic

12 South Africa

13 Mexico

14 Netherlands

15 Philippines

16 Indonesia

AUSTRALIAN U19 MEN

PRE-WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR GAMES PARANA, ARGENTINA, 23-30 OCTOBER 2012

Team

Nathan Dickinson (NSW), Scott Jansen (Vic), Jeremy Jemmott (Qld), Kayne Kajan (NSW), Sam Kassianou (Vic), Marshall Kronk (Qld), Kieran O’Leary (NSW), Liam O’Leary (NSW), Nick O’Shea (Vic), Mason Rossi (NSW), Patrick Schipp (NSW), Ryan Sinclair (Vic), Jesse Taws (ACT), Joshua Wagner (Qld), Aaron Whitefield (Qld), Matthew Wickham* (ACT), Jack Hayes (Vic)

Reserves

Mitchell Daly (Qld), Jamee Jones (WA), Tom Noble (NSW) *Christopher McClure (NSW) was replaced by Matthew Wickham due to injury

Team Officials

Head Coach – Gary Butler (WA), Assistant Coach – Wess Frances (SA), Assistant Coach – Adam Sheehan (NSW), Specialist Coach – Sandra Evans (Vic), Team Manager – Maxine Cleary (Qld), Statistician – Lindy Rattigan (SA), Physiotherapist – Rowena Toppenberg (Qld)


Team Delegate

Michelle Nancarrow

Results

Aussie Colts 8 def Bahia Blanca 3 Aussie Colts 5 def Don Bosco 4 Aussie Colts 1 drew Liniers 1 Aussie Colts 4 def Patronato 1

Aussie Colts 3 drew Bahia Blanca 3 Aussie Colts 1 drew Estuduantes 1 Aussie Colts 10 def El Nacional 0 Aussie Colts 0 lost to Estuduantes 3

Aussie Colts 4 lost to Los Indios 5 Aussie Colts 4 def ATSA 2 Aussie Colts 2 def Japan 1 Aussie Colts 4 def ATSA 1 Aussie Colts 8 def Japan 2

IX ISF JUNIOR MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PARANA, ARGENTINA, 1-10 NOVEMBER 2012


Aussie Colts 9 def India 0 Aussie Colts 3 lost to Japan 7 1 Argentina

Aussie Colts 20 def Singapore 2 Aussie Colts 2 def New Zealand 1 2 Japan

Aussie Colts 8 def Denmark 0 Aussie Colts 3 def Canada 2 3 Australia

Aussie Colts 6 def New Zealand 5 Aussie Colts 4 lost to Japan 5 4 Canada

Aussie Colts 2 def Venezuela 0 5 USA

Aussie Colts 12 def USA 1 6 New Zealand

7 Mexico

8 Denmark

9 Venezuela

10 Czech Republic

11 India

12 Singapore

13 Croatia

14 British Virgin Islands

AUSSIE SPARKS U17 GIRLS’ DEVELOPMENT TOUR OF THE US SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES, USA, 26 JUNE-11 JULY 2013

Team

Larissa Bennell (WA), Georgia Blair (SA), Emma Burridge (SA), Ocearna Boxall (Qld), Laura Coulter (Qld), Sarah Greenwood (ACT), Sarah Hoger* (Qld), Rachel Holland (NSW), Chantelle Ladner (NSW), Georgia Medcalf (NSW), Jessica Micallef (NSW), Gabrielle Mifsud (Vic), Laura Passfield (NSW), Chelsea Robinson (SA), Kylie Robson (ACT), Brianna Trim (NSW)

*Molly Meenan (NSW) was replaced by Sarah Hoger due to injury


Team Officials

Head Coach – Vicki Bingley (ACT), Assistant Coach – Heather McCann (NSW), Assistant Coach – Andrew Preiss (SA), Battery Coach – Damien Stewart (NSW), Assistant Coach IT/Video Analysis – Sue Tomlinson (SA)

Results Play Offs

Warm up games 7 July: Aussie Sparks 7 def Strikeforce 3/Aussie Sparks 3 def CA Thunder 0

27 June: Aussie Sparks 3 def Elite U19 0 8 July: Aussie Sparks 1 lost to Kryptonite 2

28 June: Aussie Sparks 5 def Elite U19 4/Aussie Sparks 4 def Elite U19 2

California Grapettes (Battle of the Best) PFG U18 Division

29 June: Aussie Sparks 2 lost to AASA-JH 5/Aussie Sparks 0 lost to CC Dirt Dogs 3

30 June: Aussie Sparks 3 def Elite U19 0/Aussie Sparks 2 lost to San Jose Sting 3

Champions Cup 16 and Under

4 July: Aussie Sparks 6 drew Prosport Revolution/Aussie Sparks 5 def Fastpitch Walker 2

5 July: Aussie Sparks 4 def OC Impact 2/Aussie Sparks 1 lost to Mizuno-Young 8

6 July: Aussie Sparks 13 def IE Dynasty 2/Aussie Sparks 0 drew Firecrackers Rice 0


AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

EDEBONE–WEBER SHIELD FINAL BLACKTOWN, NSW, 2-6 JANUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Kylie Bloodworth Umpire-in-Chief Neville Lawrance Tournament Chief Statistician Chris Trengove, Kaye Greggs


Qld Heat 2 v WA Flames 1 1 Qld Heat Most Valuable Player Jodie Bowering (Qld)

2 WA Flames

3 NSW Firestars

4 SA Starz

5 ACT Diamonds

6 NZ Selection

7 Victoria Titans

JOHN REID SHIELD HAWKER, ACT, 4-8 DECEMBER 2012

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Harvey Milson Umpire-in-Chief Patricia Sibraa Tournament Chief Statistician Alison Pendlebury


ACT 7 v New South Wales 2 1 ACT Most Valuable Player: Jeff Goolagong (ACT)

2 New South Wales Best Pitcher: Andrew Kirkpatrick (ACT)

3 Western Australia Best Batter: Jeff Goolagong (ACT)

4 Queensland Rookie of the Year: Nathan Shanahan (Vic)

5 Victoria Player of the Grand Final: Adam Folkard (ACT)

6 South Australia


ELINOR MCKENZIE SHIELD, AUSTRALIAN U19 WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP HAWKER, ACT, 13-19 JANUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Sharon Myhre-Davis Umpire-in-Chief Diane Waller Tournament Chief Statistician Kerryn Bell


New South Wales 1 v South Australia 0 1 New South Wales Most Valuable Player: Rachel Lack (NSW)

2 South Australia Best Pitcher: Stephanie Trzcinski (SA)

3 Queensland Best Batter: Madeline Cameron (SA)

4 Western Australia Player of the Grand Final: Ally Casey (NSW)

5 ACT

6 Victoria

NOX BAILEY SHIELD, AUSTRALIAN U19 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MIRRABOOKA, WA, 13-19 JANUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Libby Moss Umpire-in-Chief Darren Sibraa

Tournament Chief Statistician Lynne Eltoft


Queensland 2 v New South Wales 0 1 Queensland Most Valuable Player: Ryan Merriman (Qld)

2 New South Wales Best Pitcher: Marshall Kronk (Qld)

3 ACT Best Batter: Matthew Wickham (ACT)

4 Victoria Player of the Grand Final: Marshall Kronk (Qld)

5 South Australia

6 Western Australia

ESTHER DEASON SHIELD, AUSTRALIAN U17 GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP HOBART, TASMANIA, 6-12 JANUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegates Harvey Milson and Andrew Dodshon Umpire-in-Chief Darren Sibraa Tournament Chief Statistician Kaye Greggs


Queensland 1 v New South Wales 0 1 Queensland Most Valuable Player: Mikalya Gregory (Qld)

2 New South Wales Best Pitcher: Chantelle Ladner (NSW)

3 ACT Best Batter: Molly Meenan (NSW)

4 Western Australia Player of the Grand Final: Alicia Prybyszcuk (Qld)

5 South Australia

6 Victoria

7 Tasmania


ARTHUR ALLSOPP SHIELD, AUSTRALIAN U17 BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA, 6-12 JANUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Alan McAuliffe Umpire-in-Chief Debbie Grove Tournament Chief Statistician Ngaire Huston


Queensland 6 v New South Wales 3 1 Queensland Most Valuable Player: Aaron Whitefield (Qld)

2 New South Wales Best Pitcher: Callum Beashel (NSW)

3 Victoria Best Batter: Kaide Risby (NSW)

4 ACT Player of the Grand Final: Jarrod Polzin (Qld)

5 Tasmania

6 South Australia

GILLEY’S SHIELD, AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL WAVERLEY, VICTORIA, 31 JANUARY – 2 FEBRUARY 2013

Softball Australia Technical Delegate Kylie Bloodworth Umpire-in-Chief Kevin Broomhall Tournament Chief Statistician Chris Trengove, Ray Carter


WA Flames 5 v Qld Heat 3 1 WA Flames Midge Nelson Most Valuable Player: Jodie Bowering (Qld Heat)

2 Qld Heat Lorraine Woolley Best Pitcher: Brittany Rumfelt (WA Flames)

3 ACT Diamonds Sybil Turner Best Batter: Jodie Bowering (Qld Heat)

4 NSW Firestars Rosemary Adey Rookie of the Year: Taylah Tsitsikronis (SA Starz)

5 Victoria Titans Player of the Grand Final: Leigh Godfrey (WA Flames)

6 SA Starz


AUSTRALIAN U15 REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROCKHAMPTON, QLD, 10-14 JULY 2012

Final Placings – Girls’ Division Final Placings – Boys’ Division

1 NSW Metro Green 1 NSW Country Gold

2 NSW Metro Red 2 Qld Storm

3 Vic Blue Diamonds 3 Qld Thunder

4 Qld Fire 4 NSW Metro Green

5 Qld Flames 5 NSW Metro Red

6 Canberra

7 Country Gold

8 SEMSA

U19 Championship, courtesy Sportograph


OTHER NATIONAL RESULTS

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CUP BLACKTOWN, NSW (WOMEN), 2-6 JULY 2012

Final Placings Awards

1 Australian U19 Women’s Green Most Valuable Player: Jordyn Christensen (Australian U19 Gold)

2 Australian U17 Girls’ Development Best Pitcher: Amelia Cudicio (Australian U17 Girls’ Development)

3 Australian U19 Women’s Gold Best Batter: Mikayla Gregory (Australian U19 Gold)

4 Adelaide Shores Player of the Grand Final: Jessica Meyer (Australian U19 Green)

5 NSW Metro

6 NZ Women’s Development

7 Waverley

8 NSW Country

2012 AUSTRALIAN U19 WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT TEAMS

Australian U19 Women’s Green

Bianca Abrahams (NSW), Allanah Alvarado (WA), Eva Carless (Qld), Sian Colee (NSW),Karla Davidson (NSW), Annali Dolman (SA), Alice Donohoe (NSW), Jordan Lambert (SA), Mikaela Mahony (NSW), Nicola Maitland (NSW), Jessica Meyer (NSW), Jayme Reddacliffe (Qld), Stephanie Trzcinski (SA), Jacinta Williams (ACT)

Team Officials

Kevin Jenkins (Head Coach), Andrew Preiss (Assistant Coach), Annette Tsitsikronis (Manager), Danielle Tape (Physiotherapist), Lindy Rattigan (Statistician)

Australian U19 Women’s Gold

Madeline Cameron (SA), Rebecca Chapman (Qld), Jordyn Christensen (NSW), Stephanie Curtis (Qld), Brittney Flint (Qld), Mikayla Gregory (Qld), Rachael Higgins (Qld), Beth Hobden (NSW), Rachel Lack (NSW), Lauren Lange (WA), Tahli Moore (NSW), Holley Onley (WA), Laura Pardoe (ACT), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW)

Team Officials

Janell Behrendt (Head Coach), Maurice Paraha (Assistant Coach), Faye Guy (Manager), Mary Magarey (Physiotherapist),

Lindy Rattigan (Statistician)

2012 Australian U17 Girls Development Team

Holly Bartholomew (ACT), Larissa Bennell (WA), Emma Bridge (NSW), Sara Caterson (Qld), Daniella Costaganna (NSW), Laura Coulter (Qld), Kathryn Croker (ACT), Amelia Cudicio (NSW), Paige Delacour (Qld), Brittney Finlayson (Qld), Alicia Forte (WA), Jessica Maslin (SA), Shanae Mealing (Qld), Brianna McGovern (ACT), Michaela McLennan (NSW), Alisha

Prybyszcuk (Qld), Bianca Worth (NSW)


Team Officials

Vicki Bingley (Head Coach), Leslie Claxton (Assistant Coach), Cheryl Waye (Assistant Coach), Sandra Edmondson (Manager), Sean Francis (Statistician), Sam Poole (Physiotherapist)

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CUP BLACKTOWN, NSW (MEN), 2-6 JULY 2012

Final Placings Awards

1 Namadgi Dragons Most Valuable Player: Patrick Schipp (NSW Men’s Metro)

2 Western Civil Best Pitcher: Nathan Dickinson (NSW Men’s Metro)

3 NZ Men’s Development Best Batter: Ryan Merriman (Namadgi Dragons)

4 NSW Men’s Metro Player of the Grand Final: Aaron Whitefield (Namadgi Dragons)

5 Australian U17 Green

6 Australian U17 Gold

7 Adelaide Shores

8 NSW Country

Australian U17 Boys’ Development Team

Australian U17 Gold

Aydan Gough (NSW), Dean Halsey (Qld), Benjamin Jager (ACT), Brent James (Vic), Christopher Kacin (Qld), Jayden Lach (NSW), Ben Lucas (SA), Jack Noble (NSW), Jarrod Polzin (Qld), Michael Robar (NSW), Izack Rossi (NSW), Cameron Short (Vic), Adam Talarico (Vic), Adrian Taylor (Qld), Lachlan Webb (SA), Matthew Wickham (ACT)

Team Officials

Kathy Horton (Head Coach), James Harris (Head Coach), Eliza O’Leary (Assistant Coach), Rowena Toppenberg (Physiotherapist), Ian Deany (Manager)

Australian U17 Green

Callum Beashel (NSW), Colton Brockhurst (Qld), Steven Dawson (Vic), Matt Dean (SA), Jaymon King (Qld), Maclaine Lowe (NSW), Hayden Masson (Vic), Hayden Mathews (NSW), David McCaskie (ACT), Josh McGovern (ACT), Stuart Perry (NSW), Tyrell Priestley (Qld), James Purcell (Qld), Matthew Speirs (Vic), Samuel Spooner (NSW)

Team Officials

Kathy Horton (Head Coach), Sandra Evans (Head Coach), Alan McNulty (Assistant Coach), Rob Cook (Assistant Coach), Toby Moen (Physiotherapist), Ian Deany (Manager)


SQUADS

Australian Open Women’s Squad, January-July 2013

Tori Bolland (WA), Jodie Bowering (Qld), Ada Brincat-Tree (SA), Georgia Casey (NSW), Jordyn Christensen (NSW), Michelle Cox (NSW), Clare Currie (ACT), Brenda De Blaes (ACT), Chelsea Forkin (WA), Simone Freeman (NSW), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Stephanie Harm (Qld), Sandra Holden (Qld), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Stacey McManus (NSW), Aimee Murch (ACT), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Leah Parry (WA), Stacey Porter (NSW), Tara Speakman (Qld), Kate Sternes (Qld), Jodie Stevenson (WA), Vanessa Stokes (SA), Erin Thras (Qld), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Lana Tye (NSW), Clare Warwick (ACT), Stacey Webber (Qld), Melinda Weaver (Qld), Belinda White (SA)

Australian Open Men’s Squad, June 2013

Bill Bailey (Qld), Aaron Boccardo (WA), Andrew Blackshaw (Qld), Evan Byrne (ACT), Tim Crome (ACT), Neal Delpero (WA), Nathan Dickinson (NSW), David Edwards (Vic), Adam Folkard (ACT), Jason Garner (WA), Shaun Goffer (Qld), Joel Goddall (Vic), Mark Harris (WA), Andrew Havercroft (WA), Julian Jemmott (Qld), Sam Kassianou (Vic), Ryan Merriman (Qld), Nick Norton (ACT), Liam O’Leary (NSW), Scott Patterson (WA), Harri Peters (NSW), Joel Southam (NSW), Michael Tanner (ACT), James Todhunter (NSW), Ryan Tranter (NSW)

Australian U19 Women’s Squad

Bianca Abrahams (NSW), Allanah Alvarado (WA), Madeline Cameron (SA), Emily Campbell (ACT), Eva Carless (Qld), Rebecca Chapman (Qld), Jordyn Christensen (NSW), Sian Colee (NSW), Stephanie Curtis (Qld), Karla Davidson (NSW), Annali Dolman (SA), Alice Donohoe (NSW), Brittney Flint (Qld), Mikayla Gregory (Qld), Rachel Higgins (Qld), Beth Hobden (NSW), Rachel Lack (NSW), Jordan Lambert (SA), Lauren Lange (WA), Mikaela Mahony (NSW), Nicola Maitland NSW), Julia McCann (NSW), Jessica Meyer (NSW), Tahli Moore (NSW), Holley Onley (WA), Jayme Reddacliff (Qld), Stephanie Trczinski (SA), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Jacinta Williams (ACT)

Australian U17 Boys’ Squad

Callum Beashel (NSW), Colton Brockhurst (Qld), Steven Dawson (Vic), Matt Dean (SA), Ayden Gough (NSW), Dean Halsey

(Qld), Ben Jager (ACT), Brent James (Vic), Christopher Kacin (Qld), Jaymon King (Qld), Jayden Lach (NSW), Maclaine Lowe (NSW), Ben Lucas (SA), Hayden Masson (Vic), Hayden Matthews (NSW), David McCaskie (ACT), Josh McGovern (ACT), Jack Noble (NSW), Stuart Perry (NSW), Jarrod Polzin (Qld), Tyrell Priestley (Qld), James Purcell (Qld), Michael Robar (NSW), Izack Rossi (NSW), Cameron Short (Vic), Matthew Speirs (Vic), Samuel Spooner (NSW), Adrian Taylor (Qld), Adam Talarico (Vic), Lachlan Webb (SA), Matthew Wickham (ACT)

AIS Women’s Scholarships, 1 September 2012-31 July 2013

Jodie Bowering (Qld), Clare Currie (ACT), Brenda De Blaes (ACT), Chelsea Forkin (WA), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Sandra Holden (Qld), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Stacey McManus (NSW), Aimee Murch (ACT), *Kara Murphy (NSW), Leah Parry (WA), Stacey Porter (NSW), Jodie Stevenson (WA), Vanessa Stokes (SA), Taylah Tsitsikronis (NSW), Lana Tye (NSW), Marina Walker (Vic), Clare Warwick (ACT), Melinda Weaver (Qld), Stacey Webber (Qld), Belinda White (SA)

*Kara Murphy withdrew from the AIS Squad in February 2012 due to work commitments

AIS Visiting Athletes, December 2012-March 2013

Jordyn Christensen (NSW), Amelia Cudicio (NSW), Mikaela Mahony (NSW), Nicola Maitland (NSW), Stephanie Trczinski (SA)


SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA LIFE MEMBERS Life Members are recognised for their exceptional and devoted service to Softball Australia.

Name Year State

Darryl Clout 2010 NSW Bob Harrow 2010 ACT Bill Gobbart* 2006 Vic Ken Culpitt 2004 ACT Alan McAuliffe 2002 SA Shirley Schneider 2000 WA Pat Rawlings OAM* 1994 NSW Margo Koskelainen OAM 1993 Vic Rosemary Adey OAM 1989 SA Pat Shearwood 1980 ACT Edna Nash* 1969 NSW Pat Young* 1968 NSW Audrey McLaughlin AM 1967 Qld Esther Deason MBE* 1966 Vic Merle Short* 1966 Vic Marjorie Dwyer* 1966 Vic

*denotes deceased

SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME

INDUCTEES The Hall of Fame recognises Australian players and non-players who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of Softball at the international level.

Name Year State

Wendy Braybon 2012 Vic Carolyn Buttsworth 2012 NSW Tanya Harding 2012 Qld Sandra Lewis 2012 Qld Melanie Roche 2012 NSW Natalie Titcume 2012 Vic Natalie Ward 2012 NSW Fiona Crawford 2010 NSW Paul Maisey 2010 Vic Marissa Warburton 2010 Qld Ken Culpitt 2009 ACT 2009 Australian Open Men’s Team Aussie Steelers and ISF World Champions

2009

Geoffrey Coultas 2008 WA Brian Flint 2008 WA Darryl Rector 2008 WA Robert Richardson 2008 NSW Bill Downing 2008 WA Russell Taylor 2008 WA


Name Year State

Josh Davison 2008 NSW Dave McKenzie 2008 WA Peter Clout 2008 NSW Sally McCreedy OAM 2008 ACT Peta Edebone 2008 Vic Brooke Wilkins 2008 NSW Kathy Mitchell 2008 Qld John McAuliffe 2007 SA Bob Crudgington 2006 Qld Matt Gowty 2006 Qld Troy Baverstock 2005 NSW Kylie Herbert 2005 NSW Alan McAuliffe 2005 SA Carol Peel 2005 NSW Haylea Petrie 2005 Qld Kim Cooper 2004 Qld Shane King 2004 Qld Kerry Dienelt 2004 NT Lindsey Carroll 2004 ACT Kellie Loughman 2004 Vic Kerrie Maddern 2004 Vic Nichole Richardson 2004 Vic Margo Koskelainen OAM 2004 Vic Joanne Brown 2004 ACT Francine McRae 2004 Qld Lindsay Anderson* 2003 WA Anthony Bull 2003 WA Laing Harrow 2002 ACT Rhonda Wills 2002 Vic Jenny Holliday 2002 Vic Joyce Lester OAM 2000 Qld Leanne Evans 1997 Vic Gaye Ledingham 1997 NSW Pat Shearwood 1995 ACT Sandra Troyahn 1995 Vic Arthur Allsopp* 1992 Vic Rosemary Adey OAM 1991 SA Pat Rawlings OAM* 1991 NSW Jane Stevens 1990 SA Lorraine Brown 1989 SA Josephine Loton 1989 Vic Janine (Jan) Allsopp 1988 Vic Carol Selem 1988 NSW Vivienne Triplett* 1988 Vic Esther Deason MBE* 1987 Vic Marjorie Dwyer* 1987 Vic Merilyn Middlin 1987 Vic Joanne Paez 1987 Vic Judy Phelps OAM 1987 NSW Chris Roughley 1987 NSW Sybil Turner 1987 NSW Rhonda Boyd 1986 Vic Denise Hutchinson 1986 Vic 1965 Australian Open Women’s Team and ISF World Champions

1985


Name Year State

Norma Allsopp Vic Margaret Dodds Qld Bess Dornan Vic Myrtle Edwards Vic Rita Gherardin Vic Elinor McKenzie* Vic Audrey McLaughlin Qld Helena Meehan Vic Nina Menner WA Midge Nelson BEM Vic Gladys Phillips* (C) Vic Judy Pizaro* Vic Marjorie Scott Vic Merle Short* Vic Sandra Somerville Qld Margaret Swann Vic Nancy Whittingham SA Lorraine Woolley Qld

*denotes deceased

ISF HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Name Year State

Bob Harrow 2011 ACT Paul Maisey 2011 Vic Peta Edebone 2011 Vic Peter Clout 2009 NSW John McAuliffe 2009 SA Sally McCreedy OAM 2009 ACT Norma Allsopp 2005 Vic Joanne Brown 2005 ACT Ken Culpitt 2005 Qld Kerry Dienelt 2005 NT Denise Hutchinson 2005 Vic Shane King 2005 Qld Laing Harrow 2003 ACT Margo Koskelainen OAM 2003 Vic Alan McAuliffe 2003 SA Jenny Holliday 2001 Vic Joyce Lester 2001 Qld Audrey McLaughlin AM 1999 Qld Rosemary Adey OAM* 1997 SA Janine (Jan) Allsopp 1993 Vic Vivienne Triplett* 1993 Vic Sybill Turner 1993 NSW Rhonda Boyd 1991 Vic Christine Roughley 1991 NSW Margaret Swann 1989 Vic Myrtle Edwards* 1987 Vic Merle Short* 1987 Vic Marjorie (Midge) Nelson BEM 1981 Vic Esther Deason* MBE 1981 Vic

*denotes deceased


PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

Principal Partner

High Performance Partner Indigenous Softball Program Partner

Apparel Sponsor Official Equipment Supplier

Award Sponsors

Boronia Travel fuseSPORT Themepark

EBadges National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy

Valiant Press

McKenna Hampton Softball Excellence Easton


Softball ACT

t: 02 6278 3000 f: 02 6278 3111 e: [email protected] w: www.act.softball.org.au

Softball NSW

t: 02 9677 4000 f: 02 9677 4040 e: [email protected] w: www.softball.net.au

Softball NT

t: 08 8927 3333 f: 08 8927 9999 e: [email protected] w: www.nt.softball.org.au

Softball Qld t: 07 3391 2447

f: 07 3391 4734 e: [email protected] w: www.qld.softball.org.au

Softball SA

t: 08 8353 6766 f: 08 8353 2480 e: [email protected] w: www.sa.softball.org.au

Softball Tasmania

t: 03 6249 3589 f: 03 6249 3589 e: [email protected] w: www.tas.softball.org.au

Softball Victoria t: 03 415 1745 f: 03 8678 3018 e: [email protected]

w: www.victoria.softball.org.au

Softball WA

t: 08 9349 9911 f: 08 9345 3553 e: [email protected] w: www.wa.softball.org.au

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.act.softball.org.au/


http://www.softball.net.au/


http://www.nt.softball.org.au/


http://www.qld.softball.org.au/


http://www.sa.softball.org.au/


http://www.tas.softball.org.au/


http://www.victoria.softball.org.au/


http://www.wa.softball.org.au/

Documents

2013 ANNUAL Report - Softball Australiaassets.softball.org.au/dl/sal/Publications/Annual ReportFINAL_High Res.… · We have much work to do to transform the sport back to its heyday