2015 - 16 Annual Report

2

Softball Western Australia would like to thank its current partners for the support they have given in the 2015-16

financial year:

3

Table of Contents

Table of Contents.............................................................................................................3Board of Directors............................................................................................................4Office Bearers....................................................................................................................4Life Members......................................................................................................................5Chairperson’s Report.....................................................................................................6Chief Executive Officer’s Report................................................................................8Participation and Development Report................................................................13Member Services Officer Report.............................................................................17Association Coordinator Report.............................................................................20Annual Awards...............................................................................................................22State Director of Coaching Report.........................................................................25State Director of Scoring Report.............................................................................27State Director Umpiring Report...............................................................................28North West Championships Umpires Report....................................................31Premier League Awards 2015-16............................................................................33State Representative Teams 2016 – Individual Awards................................34Open Women’s Coaches Report.............................................................................35Open Men’s Coaches Report....................................................................................37Under 23 Men’s Coaches Report............................................................................39Under 19 Women’s Coaches Report.....................................................................40Under 17 Girls Coaches Report...............................................................................43Under 17 Boys Coaches Report..............................................................................44Under 15 Girls Coaches Report............................................................................45Under 16 Boys Development Team Coaches Report.....................................46Financial Year Ending 30 June 2016.....................................................................48

4

Board of Directors CHAIRPERSON Gary Butler DIRECTORS Russell Berriman Milosa Jackson Mark Harris (Resigned October 2016) Karen Sullivan Shirley Schneider Geoffrey Shaw Office Bearers CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dean Burton MEMBER SERVICES OFFICER Donna Powell PARTICIPATION & Saskia Kosterink DEVELOPMENT OFFICER ASSOCIATION COORDINATOR Jessica Watts (Commenced April 2016) FACILITY COORDINATOR Adam Barbarich Ayden Holton ADMINISTRATION OFFICER* Cheryl Poustie BAR MANAGER* Laurie Prior CANTEEN MANAGER* Vicki Powell * The above roles marked with an asterix (*) are voluntary.

5

Life Members 1952 Val Johnson* 1983 Nina Menner 1955 William Beecham* 1984 Alf Bunting 1960 Pat Grice* 1986 Roma Mackenzie 1961 Max Kitchens* 1987 Lorraine Page 1962 Rona Trotter* 1988 Reginald Page* 1963 Joy Marsland* 1988 Bob McKibbin 1964 Flo Ireland 1993 Laurie Prior 1965 Freda Meloncelli* 1994 Connie Montgomery* 1966 Shirley Roberts* 1995 Graham Rector 1968 Greta Craig 1997 Don Brooks 1969 Shirley Schneider 2009 Peter Baker 1970 Shirley Boyd* 2009 Evelyn Harvey 1974 Peggy Beckett* 2010 Kevin Osborne 1975 Don Smith* 2010 Albert Dumaresq 1976 Val Prunster 2015 Allan Collings 1979 Nox Bailey 2015 Julie Richardson 1981 Lorraine Malcolm

Deceased*

6

Chairperson’s Report Over the past 12 months we have been very productive from a governance and management perspective for our sport. Your Directors have maintained an attitude of open and transparent communication and the positive comments provided throughout the strategic planning process ended with a fully supported 2016 - 2020 Strategic Plan that will help challenge and guide the sport into the future. Your Directors and I participated in an Australian Sports Commission Board Audit Review, facilitated by the Department of Sport & Recreation (DSR). Opening ourselves up to critical comments was a positive step for our sport as we strive to use every tool possible to improve the brand and performance of the Board. The Review compared our performance against similar organisations. There were some identified areas of improvement which include policy review, director training, risk management and importantly to conduct an annual communication feedback review. These now form part of a Board Action Plan that we will work to in the coming 3 years. Our willingness to expose ourselves and become bold in our development provided DSR with the confidence that our sports future was worth investing in and provided several large grants to upgrade and improve our facility and governance to benefit all members for many years to come. Gradually, over the coming months, you will notice the improvements both big and small. I personally reveled at the new electronic

scoreboard on the main diamond (thanks to sponsors Newcrest Mining). Improvements in lighting on the back diamonds will also be significant. I am pleased to say financially we are in a more positive position and have posted a small profit during the past year. I am confident that we will record a small profit in the coming 12 months. With participation increasing this also means that we are striking a good balance with our membership fees. The next big challenge is to continue to increase membership by selling the benefits of being an affiliated member. Softball Australia have been working very hard and secured a Member Benefits Program that provides thousands of dollars in savings which members of our sport can access. Your Directors and I have remained focused on developing a positive perception of the Board. This focus has seen some honest conversations and the return of the balance of power back to members. I am extremely proud of the large number of nominations for this year's vacant board positions. For the first time in many years, I am pleased that a membership vote was required to announce our newest Directors. I would like the express my deepest gratitude to the current Board of Directors who have worked extremely hard and put in many hours of work dedicated to improving our sport. To our CEO Dean Burton, thank you for choosing to work for

7

Softball WA. Your enthusiasm, dedication, knowledge and professionalism are outstanding. The results you have achieved have been phenomenal. Along with your staff, Donna Powell, Saskia Kosterink, Jess Watts, Adam Barbarich/Ayden Powell please accept my heartfelt thanks; it is comforting to know that you are all sacrificing whilst striving to benefit our sport and achieve our strategic goals. To our major partners DSR, Newcrest Mining Limited and Softball Australia, thank you for your ongoing support. I take comfort in the fact that we, as a sport, are moving forward, providing major benefits to our members and increasing participation, especially Indigenous women through this great sport.

The past nine years, and especially the last two and a half years as Chairman of the Board, has been a challenging, frustrating and rewarding experience all at the same time. I know the sport is in safe hands and heading in the right direction. Winning the rights to host the Women’s National Championships for the next three years in an Olympic cycle will definitely provide a boost for our young female athletes and officials. To the members thank you for allowing me to represent you on the Board of Softball WA. Gary Butler Chairman

8

Chief Executive Officer’s Report Writing this report is good way to reflect on my first full year at Softball WA, and what a year it has been. In short, this year has been a whirlwind rollercoaster ride, with wins and losses along the way. However, I believe we have notched up many more wins in comparison to losses and I’m proud of the achievements the organisation has been able to make in the last 12 months. The Board, staff, key volunteers and I have had a number of key highlights and achievements, one of which includes the development of a statewide Strategic Plan. This Plan was developed in thorough consultation with the membership and is to provide key direction and guidance in decision-making until 2020. As such, the sub-headings in this report are based upon the five key focus areas of our 2020 Strategy: Communication Early in 2016, we launched a new WordPress based website. Moving to the WordPress platform is more user-friendly for staff. In this respect, all staff have the ability to post information on a timely basis. There is still work to be done on our website which includes the addition of further content and this will occur over the next 12 months. In conjunction with the website, the implementation of the Online Registration System (Sports TG/Fox Sports Pulse) I believe is a big win for Softball in WA. As with all new IT systems, hiccups occur, however in the coming years it will become the norm and will free up time for volunteer

Registrars/Secretaries as members register themselves online. From a practical point of view, the system has the capacity to take online payments, manage your competitions (fixtures and ladders) and information is updated automatically. From a whole of softball perspective, the Online Registration System is important to effectively be able to report membership numbers to government and private stakeholders, ensuring we are certifying insurance claims for affiliated members only and being able to communicate to individual members through the communication tools of the Sports TG platform. Social media continues to be a focus for us to ensure people can engage with relevant information. The 2016 Sensis Social Media Report, outlined that Australian’s spend approximately 12.5 hours a week on Facebook alone and 69% of all people use social media. For this reason, we’ve spent time in posting information on our Facebook for those who wish to engage, rather than the use of traditional communication channels such as email. Between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016, the number of ‘likes’ on our Facebook page grew by 56% and we have now well surpassed 1,000 ‘likes’, which shows people are interested in our information and content. Growing our presence on social media is important over the next 12 months. An increase in engagement with members in the community through online

9

platforms will positively affect participation and interaction in Softball WA activities. In addition, our social media presence will also affect the attractiveness of our sport to potential sponsors and partners. Facilities Managing a state facility is never an easy task, both from a scheduling and maintenance/repair perspective. Access to diamonds between October and early January is difficult, especially with an increase in State Teams and the Men’s National Championships moving back to January. In addition, competitions four days a week puts pressure on keeping the facility at a high standard with limited resources. As such, we brought some of our facility maintenance services in-house to reduce costs and have better flexibility to accommodate the facility schedule. I would like to commend Adam Barbarich for his efforts and being part of the significant change in the business. His diligence, hard work and attention to detail did not go unnoticed, especially around the time of hosting the National Championships. An additional thanks is extended to Kevin Osborne and Laurie Prior for the continual efforts and assistance in maintaining the facility. Their experience is invaluable and many issues would not have resolved without their assistance. In the past 18 months, we have been fortunate to receive $450,000 worth of funding from the State government for necessary repairs and replacement of infrastructure at the facility. This includes a full

replacement of floodlighting on diamonds 3 and 4 (expected completion 30 November 2016), replacement of top netting between Diamonds 1 and 2, turf renovations on all four diamonds and replacement of major aspects of the irrigation system. Many of these projects are in progress. Still to go (subject to available funding) includes; installation of shade sails on diamonds 1 and 2, diamond covers for diamonds 1 and 2 and new batting cages. In addition to funding, the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) also funded an Asset Management Plan. This plan identifies the ‘true-cost’ to manage the Mirrabooka International Softball Stadium, with the view to assist business case development with the State government and funding allocations in the future. The resulting true-cost is quite alarming and we unfortunately cannot rely on the State government to cover all expenses. As such, this places greater value on the key volunteers donating their time and expertise to maintain the stadium. Important to the ongoing management of the facility will be the identification of strategic partnerships that will assist in operational or capital costs. Participation and Development The last 12 months has seen growth in overall membership. I commend the associations and clubs who have made in-roads in these areas, as it is vital for the sustainability of Softball. Membership has grown from 3,179 affiliated members in 2014/15 to 3,567 affiliated members in 2015/16. There is still plenty of

10

work to do in this area and it is expected that it will become more challenging, especially in regional areas given the current trends in lifestyle and the current landscape of the mining economy. Having said that, new trends are emerging. For instance, the commitment to traditional competitions is somewhat changing and there is a larger appetite for ‘fast-food’ type sporting activities, where the length of commitment is less than six-months. Associations and clubs should consider offering opportunities that react to these changing attitudes to sport as they provide potential to retain and grow softball membership and participation. In addition, marketing these opportunities to both current and prospective members is important for the creation of alternate revenue streams for financial sustainability. There also has been growth in the percentage of junior participants, with the overall percentage growing from 15.79% in 2014/15 to 22.23% in 2016/17. Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, regional participation has declined from being 24.31% of the overall membership (773 affiliated members) in 2014/15 to 20.40% (728 affiliated members). In discussions with some of our regional affiliates, there are varying reasons for the decline in membership but regardless, it’s important more than ever that Softball WA provides assistance to our regional associations where possible to maintain membership. Our biggest challenge to regional engagement is travel expenses, however grants are available.

Associations must apply for these grants for which Softball WA provides assistance. I strongly encourage our regional affiliates to engage with our Association Coordinator, Jessica Watts and their DSR Regional Office to enable Softball WA to assist. We’ve seen great traction in the areas of coaching, umpires and scoring. Overall 62 people completed their Level 1 Coaching Accreditation in the last year and another 19 moving through the pathway to either a Level 2 or Level 3. Offering these programs is not only going to help retain players, but also instills confidence in our coaches to continue to volunteer their time to our sport. Our umpires and scorers are starting to see outcomes as a result of solidifying their committee structures. We’ve had a number of umpires move along the accreditation pathway and over the last two years we’ve seen 25 new umpires obtain Level 1 accreditations. This number may seem low, however it takes approximately 12 months to obtain each level of accreditation. In Scoring, we’ve had 46 people complete their level 1 accreditation in the past 12 months, with another 12 completing their level 2 and a number of people progressing to their level 3 or 4. Now that we have State Directors established in each of the areas of Coaching, Umpiring and Scoring, I expect to see some good outcomes transpire over the next 12 months. Talent Development Within in our Strategic Plan, we have some aspirational targets by

11

2020 and a long-term approach is required. Results in our program are not going to happen overnight, although I believe we are heading the right direction in our State Teams and Talent Development programs. The Collaboration Agreement with Edith Cowan University is a fantastic partnership that directly benefits our athletes and coaches and I expect this area to develop significantly in the coming years. We’ve been able to secure the services of one of the best Sports Scientists in the country, Dr. Sophia Nimphius, who fortunately also has a background in Softball. Over the next few years as a result of the partnership, I expect to see our athletes in better condition for National Championships as well as programs implemented to improve both their strengths and weaknesses, while also manage weaknesses to prevent injuries. In 2016, we also were able to improve the level of professionalism of our Winter Development Academy. This year, the Program was more focused on developing the fundamentals of hitting, throwing and base-running. We took this step back in to ensure the fundamentals are not only sound in younger players but also for those who are a little bit more experienced to ensure bad habits or technical flaws are corrected. Well done to Saskia Kosterink, our Participation and Development Officer, and the coaches involved for improving this Program in 2016 and I look forward to the advancements being made to support WA players in 2017.

Softball Sustainability Hosting national events are always a good opportunity on a number of levels for sustainability of Softball in WA and for Softball WA as an organisation. National Championships assist Softball WA bring in expertise from around Australia to undertake training and development with our officials, assists us in developing partnerships with sponsors and/or other organisations (as with Tee-ball WA), grows the overall presence of the sport and also assists the organisation financially. In 2016 we hosted the Under 17 Boys National Championships. As a State we did very well in the three areas previously mentioned, despite only five teams participating, and I commend the work of Tournament Convener/Member Services Officer, Donna Powell who managed to convene an excellent tournament while balancing all other aspects of her role, including the coordination of all our State Teams. We have been fortunate enough to secure the combined Under 15 Girls Regional and Under 19 Women’s National Championship’s for 2017, which is significant for Softball WA’s sustainability. Furthermore, we have been fortunate enough to win, as part of Softball Australia’s new event bidding process, the combined Open Women’s and Under 15 Girls National Championships each year from 2018 to 2020. Longer term, we aim to continue to find efficiencies in our business and develop financial and in-kind sponsorships. We hope that in the

12

next 12 months we can get Healthway back on board and encourage new in-kind sponsorships that will assist maintenance of the state facility as well as providing additional benefits to all members. Despite making a surplus in the last year, our cash reserves are still low and we still need to work towards having adequate reserves for the ongoing sustainability of the organisation. Having adequate cash reserves also gives us the ability to make decisions to invest in activities that will grow the game of Softball, which is increasingly important given the recent Olympic decision that will inevitably affect the profile of our sport.

I look forward to the coming 12 months and I thank Newcrest Mining Limited for their continued support. I have a strong belief that we will continue to move in the right direction despite the challenges in the current economy and the added challenge of the number of female sports gaining traction in the professional sport arena. I encourage all affiliates to pilot at least one of the three participation programs on offer in 2017, to engage in the Junior State Championships in March 2017 and to use the services of our Association Coordinator as a strong association and club network will only grow the game. Dean Burton Chief Executive Officer

13

Participation and Development Report Participation and Development Metropolitan Area Since Softball WA has been endorsed with the Sporting Schools Program, numerous schools have requested clinics through this program that Softball WA delivered upon with help from several casual coaches. Associations and Clubs can hugely benefit from this Program to assist grow their member participation numbers, while also receiving some financial compensation for individual efforts. We intend to develop a Statewide approach in the next 12 months to enable our affiliate Clubs and Associations leverage off this program. Softball WA has delivered a two-day Holiday Camp in January for the younger ones who have only been playing for a short while or may have never played before. The kids enjoyed themselves very much with several activities throughout the day that had a focus on learning the fundamentals of Softball. We also were able to conduct the first of a planned series of Coach the Coaches’ Clinics to up-skill and develop our coaches at a local level. These clinics are designed to extend knowledge of our coaches outside the formal accreditation scheme and are delivered by high-level coaches or players. In 2016-17, we expect to facilitate more of these clinics with large clubs and associations to improve the standard of coaching across WA.

Regional Development Since last year we have put more of a focus on regional development because there is a required need and the potential to grow. As part of our Aboriginal Sports Development Program, Softball WA visited Marble Bar/Warralong and Port Hedland, in conjunction with Ngurra Kujungka, to deliver softball clinics to schools, Level 1 Coaching Courses and Talent ID Testing Sessions. In addition, the Western Blaze travelled to Geraldton and Bunbury to play against respective regional ‘All-Star’ Teams in their preparation for the National Championships. In addition to playing games, the Blaze also ran a number of clinics for juniors and seniors and I thank them for their efforts. I would also like to thank the Under 19 Women’s Team and the Western Flames for their time facilitating clinics for the Rockingham City and Districts Softball Associations. It’s fantastic to see that our State Teams are putting back into the Softball community. Aboriginal Sports Development Program We have built a strong relationship with the Ngurra Kujungka team through the last few years and have been assisting with their festivals, which are a great success. During the Ngurra Kujungka carnivals, Softball WA staff teach the skills and fundamentals of Softball, while also teaching the rules of the game. Participants are now getting to a point whereby they are becoming self-sufficient, can recall the skills

14

and are capable of teaching others in their community. As such, we hope this brings positive health and spiritual outcomes to our friends in the Western Desert. I would like to thank Ngurra Kujungka for inviting Softball WA to help with their program and grow participation. A big thanks as well, to Meghan Christensen, who has helped out tremendously with several Ngurra Kujungka festivals on behalf of Softball WA. Softball WA, in partnership with the Department of Sport and Recreation, are holding the second annual Aboriginal Women’s Softball Carnival. Building on the success of last year where five teams participated in an afternoon/evening event, this year, it will be a full-day event on Sunday 30 October 2016. The carnival is a fun-filled event with family and friends who are playing or never have played softball before using Softball Australia’s Social 7’s format. Talent Development Winter Academy The 2016 Winter Academy was a successful 8-week program. Narrowing the focus to only three elements of the game (hitting, base-running and throwing) and breaking down the fundamentals worked really well and the athletes showed great improvement. Several State Team Coaches volunteered their free time to help run the Winter Academy, which was provided a meaningful experience for participants and allowed them to share their knowledge and experience. This encouraged athletes to be on the same page, which assists in the

consistency of messaging for athletes. After every session athletes completed a survey to re-enforce their learning’s and provide feedback to staff indicating effectiveness of the session. The Winter Academy was held at two locations, Dale Districts in Langford and Mirrabooka to enable greater participation, which resulted in a total of 76 athletes. The sessions were well planned right from the start and this assisted taking the Winter Academy to a more professional level that helped to improve the culture of the Program and develop a positive learning environment for athletes. The Winter Academy will be running again next year. I would like to thank Alan Collings from Dale Districts for providing us access to their facilities for 8 weeks. Also a huge thanks to the coaching staff including Chantelle James, Drew Herrington, Steve Macknak, Brad Forrest, Michael Karlin, Rob Loiacono, Ryan HoyPoy, Wayne Vaughan, Donna Powell and Jemma Freegard. It wouldn’t have been such a successful program without your help. Developing Champions Program In late 2015, Softball WA re-engaged with WAIS to recommence the Developing Champions Program. This Program aims to assist young aspiring athletes through workshops, to engage in healthy behaviours and make positive decisions that will enable them to successfully enter and then progress along the high performance pathway. Fifteen players between the age of 13 and

15

19 years old were selected using key selection criteria to attend the two workshops. In December 2015 and April 2016 the group had their first two workshops. The players worked through some key areas such as, self-awareness/mental states, stress, emotions and ideal performances states, as well as, self-management, motivation, lifestyle management and performance planning for success. The workshops were really useful for the players as they took valuable information on board to make positive changes in their lives and Softball careers. As of September 2016, the Developing Champions Program will be delivered through a new structure, which will be more beneficial for athletes. In the upcoming months, new workshops will be scheduled for the selected group prior to Nationals. ECU Partnership Softball WA and ECU put pen to paper in 2015-16 to officially continue their collaboration agreement until at least 31 December 2017. ECU and Softball WA have worked together over the past five years, which has led to a number of collaborative activities that mutually benefit each organisation. One of the most recent examples was a multi-year project that ended with the installation of Australia’s first softball stadium video analysis system installed on Diamond 1 at the Mirrabooka International Softball Stadium in early 2016. These cameras are planned to be used as a training tool for the State

Team program whereby opportunities lie in biomechanical and technical analysis of pitchers, infielders and hitters, which will help our coaches, through the guidance of ECU staff, to assist our athletes improve all aspects of their game. Other opportunities for the cameras in the long term include using them as a training tool for our umpires and even the live streaming of games. Between now and the end of 2017, ECU in addition to the above, will supply suitable personnel to Softball WA to assist both players and coaches in the State Team program in the areas of on-field strength and conditioning and performance testing. ECU’s Sport Science testing will be able to record and analyse the physical strengths and weakness of our athletes that are relevant to Softball success and increasing athlete resilience to training. Our coaches in conjunction with ECU can then better develop their training programs to improve their chances of success at National Championships. Future Outlook Over the next 12 months Softball WA is looking to trial two new programs to increase both junior and senior participation. We hope these programs will assist clubs and associations increase their membership given the future trends and lifestyles of people participating in sport. The two programs that Softball WA is looking at to trial and will encourage our affiliates to facilitate are “Social 7’s” and “Softball Batter Up”. Both programs are modified versions of the game designed to be more inclusive and fun.

16

Softball Batter Up introduces children to the fundamental skills of softball through a variety of activities and modified games. The program has been designed to develop physical and social skills as well as an understanding of the game. Softball Batter Up targets children from 4-12years of age and can be offered over four different levels. The intention is to run programs over six to eight week blocks inside of school terms. Social 7’s is Australia’s newest version of slow-pitch that is fast, fun and easy to play. The general atmosphere of the games is relaxed and friendly. This game has been designed to enhance the social aspects and that is ideal to fill in the off-season or on another night of the week to gain new participants. Setting up a Social 7’s competition is easy given that it

uses a pay to play system. It can also be financially rewarding for the affiliate with a competition of as little as four teams. I encourage all affiliates to visit the Softball Australia Social 7’s website. In addition to these two programs, we intend to finalise a Statewide Participation Plan. This plan will outline the approach to growing participation and affiliated membership with a number of key strategies and actions from not only Softball WA, but also affiliate clubs and associations. This will include trying to get to our regional areas more through the obtainment of grants. I look forward to working with you all in growing Softball in 2016/17. Saskia Kosterink Participation and Development Officer

17

Member Services Officer Report 2015-16 has been both challenging and rewarding. Being the first point of contact for our affiliates and clubs, as well as coordinating our off-field activities for State teams, requires me to be on top of all things Softball. A large portion of my role is the coordination of invoices and payments for affiliates and state team players. I thank you for working with us to finalise payments in a timely manner. In the last 12 months within my role, there have been a number of changes. The following is a summary of the key activities/projects undertaken in my role over the last year: Financial Processes Due to the commencement of a new bookkeeper and the implementation of MYOB in early 2015, we have been able to introduce and bed-down a number of new internal financial processes. Although many of these new processes have taken time to implement, we are now seeing the fruits of our labour in efficiencies for invoicing, allocating income and expenditure, as well as much better financial reports which give us a clearer picture of the real time financial position of the organisation. Online Member Database (Fox Sports Pulse/Sports TG) Change is never easy, especially when you start introducing technology. However, the intention of the implementation of the newly introduced Online Member Database is to make life easier and more efficient for everyone. This Database streamlines processes

from the members end, to the volunteer Registrar and when required to report on numbers to government agencies. We’ve seen a number of instant benefits since it’s introduction, with clearances and permits taking less time to process than ever before, Softball WA and Associations being able to communicate directly to the individual members on a number of topics and with a click of a few buttons, knowing if a member is registered in order to advise our insurer of affiliated members for those who are unfortunate to have to send in an insurance claims. We currently have approximately 90% of our membership on the database, which is a fantastic effort for everyone involved. I would like to personally thank Softball Australia for taking the bold move to introduce the system, while also thanking Sharon Perkins for her knowledge, commitment and perseverance in it’s implementation and all the advice she gives to Softball WA members. Without Sharon, we would not have had such success implementing the system. Finally, I would like to thank all the members who have implemented the system in associations and clubs. We have no doubt that it will pay dividends in the near future, if it hasn’t already. Working with Children Ensuring our clubs and associations are a safe environment for our kids has been a focus for Softball WA in the last 12 months and will become even more important in the coming 12 months. We have been working closely with the WA Sports

18

Federation to ensure we are compliant with current legislation for the State Team Program and other Softball WA delivered programs. We are also working on a strategy to better educate our membership on the legislative requirements and processes that need to be implemented at a local level. Given the recent legislation introduction on 1 July 2016, over the next 12 months we plan on communicating the expectations of clubs and associations in this area to clearly articulate who requires a Working With Children Card, who is eligible for exemptions, best practice record keeping and other strategies in keeping kids in Softball safe. We also aim to implement a Screening Procedure to ensure we are providing a safe environment for all members. Should anyone have any questions about Working With Children Checks and the legislative requirements, please do not hesitate to contact me. Junior Competition Guidelines In mid-2016, Softball WA published a set of draft Junior Competition Guidelines. The intention of this document was to provide guidance on what is best practice within our sport and to obtain consistency in how Softball is played at a junior level across the State. The rationale for consistency is two-fold, firstly to promote a level of inclusiveness which we hope will assist to retain players (and in turn increase participation) and also to better align to National Championship Rules and Regulations to make the transition easier for current and future State players.

We have consulted with the membership on these Guidelines and intend to have them approved by the Board later in 2016. As they are a first iteration, we expect them to be regularly reviewed and updated as part of our mantra of continuous improvement in relation to junior participation and development. Importantly to note, Softball WA intends to use these Guidelines at State Championships, scheduled for March 2017. In addition, the expectation is that affiliates will use this document as a guideline and when developing their local Ground Rules/Regulations and that they may amend the rules/regulations to suit the needs of participants. National Championships – Under 17 Boys In January 2017, Softball WA hosted the Under 17 Boys (Arthur Allsop Shield) National Championships. Five teams competed from across the country and NSW took out the title over QLD in an excellent display of Softball finals action. A special congratulation is awarded to Jett Wright in taking out two of the highest honours in the Tournament, MVP and Best Batter. The Championship was a huge success and Softball Australia was full of praises on how well it was run and organised. These tournaments could not be successful without the tireless hours invested by volunteers. A special thanks is extended to Laurie Prior for his work behind the bar and Vicki Powell and her team for their hard work in the canteen. To Adam Barbarich, Kevin Osborne and their team, thank you for your

19

hard work on the grounds. I’d like to take the time to extend a big thank-you to all volunteers who gave of their time throughout the week. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to host these championships and may not have been successful in obtaining the

combined Under 19 Women’s and Under 15 Girls National Championship’s in 2017. Donna Powell Member Services Officer

20

Association Coordinator Report In my first report as Association Coordinator, there are many small and large achievements to report on since my commencement with Softball WA in April 2016. Before I begin, it’s important to note, that my role is financially supported by Softball Australia with the main purpose of building capacity within clubs and associations. I’m currently contracted 15 hours per week to assist associations and clubs in the following areas: • Guidance and advice with

regard to association/club management and governance.

• To assist clubs and associations with the Australian Sports Commission Club Health Check and the resultant actions coming out from the Check.

• To provide information and guidance in writing applications for grants that support capacity building such as coaching accreditations, skills clinics, umpiring and scoring accreditations and facility development.

• Ensuring affiliates are kept up to date on industry information such as changes with Associations Incorporations Act, Working With Children Legislation and Industry Training Information.

Since April 2016, the following key achievements have been made: • Creation and distribution of a

new monthly Club and Association Newsletter which includes relevant sport and recreation industry news, grant

information, workshops, events and policy information.

• Face to face meetings with a number affiliates, including two in the regions in the areas of management, governance, planning and financial planning.

• Executive support in the review of the Softball WA Constitution as well as providing a resource for associations and clubs regarding the changes in the Association Incorporations Act.

• Development of Softball WA’s Alcohol Management and Concussion Management Guidelines.

• Assistance in the development of a Member Screening Process, planned to be implemented to Softball WA Affiliates in late 2016.

Over the next 12 months, I plan to continue with the good work above as well as: • Assist Associations and Clubs

to undertake Club Health Check and utilising resources to build upon results

• Facilitate an annual Club and Association Workshop for affiliates

• Ensure all associations and clubs are adhering to the Working With Children legislation and implementing proper member screening processes

• In conjunction with Participation and Development Officer, up skill associations to deliver Sporting Schools programs

• Continue to meet one- on-one with associations and clubs (both metropolitan and regionally based)

21

• Increase revenue of associations and clubs through grants and sponsorship

• Ensure all associations and clubs are adhering to Liquor Licencing Laws

• Ensure all incorporated associations and clubs are updating constitutions as per the new Associations Act 2015.

• Increase the number of users, using the Homeplate website from WA.

I encourage all affiliated clubs and associations to contact me in regard to any of the items listed, or discuss any challenges you may have as I hopefully can help you work through them. I currently work Mondays and Wednesdays and can be contacted in the Softball WA Office. Jessica Watts Association Coordinator

22

Annual Awards Softball WA’s night of nights, the Annual Awards Night was held on Friday, 15 April 2016. On the night, a number of State Representative Players were recognised for their individual achievements. Those who support softball off the diamond were also recognised at the event.

On the night, 9 members were inducted into the Softball WA Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions and/or achievements in our sport over many years. For inductees and a summary of their achievements, please see the list below.

Annual Meritorious Awards were also awarded on the night. These awards recognise the service of individuals or associations over the past 12 months.

The 2016 Annual Meritorious Awards winners included:

Milosa Jackson - Reg Page Administrator of the Year.

Rockingham City and Districts Softball Association - Affiliate of the Year.

Chantelle James - Dave Cossons Official of the Year.

Sharon Perkins - Graeme Rector Metropolitan Volunteer of the Year.

I would also like to congratulate those who have received Softball Australia Service Awards in the last 12 months, without you our sport would not be able to continue like it does.

Furthermore, I would like to congratulate the Softball WA Service Award recipients. A recognition ceremony was held on 7 June 2016, with 33 awards provided on the evening recognising the service of volunteers who have contributed to Softball in WA for a period of over twenty years or more in the Platinum (20 years) and Diamond (25 years) categories. On behalf of Softball WA, my sincere thanks for all your efforts and contributions to softball in WA over the years. Finally, I would like to congratulate both Allan Collings and Julie Richardson on being inducted into Life Membership for their service and commitment in advancing softball in WA. Allan has had many achievements both as a Coach, Official and Administrator at both State and Club level, while Julie’s efforts both on and off the diamond with our umpires are almost unmatched. Once again, congratulations to everyone who has been recognised for their efforts in the last 12 months. As our sport relies heavily on volunteers, the best way to maintain them is to recognise them for their efforts. As such, please keep an eye out for when we call for Awards or please don’t hesitate to contact the Softball WA Office for more information. Shirley Schneider Meritorious Awards Committee Chair

23

The Hall of Fame inductees include: Peter Baker – Umpire • State Director of Umpiring

• Umpired at 14 National Championships (1986 – 2002)

• Umpired two international tournaments (1994 & 1995)

• Umpire Examiner at National Championships (1997, 1998 & 2002)

• Umpired at various State, Local and Regional Championships

Neal Delpero – Player • State Senior Player (1995 – 2014) • Most Valuable Player at National

Championships in 2002 • Pitching Award at National

Championships 2002 & 2012 • National Open Men’s Player 11 years

including two world championships • Most Valuable Player – Team Australia

2002

Albert Dumaresq – Umpire

• Umpired at three National Championships (1981, 1984 & 1986)

• Tournament Convenor at State Championships (1978 – 1981)

• Umpired at Fireman’s Championships (1994)

• Volunteered by operating the gate at most competitions

• During the 1980’s travelled to numerous Regional areas to facilitate Umpiring Clinics

Adam Humble – Player • State Player 19 years (1997-2014) • National Player 13 years including three

World Championships and in the Gold Medal Team in Canada

• Softball Australia Male Athlete of the Year 2008

• Most Valuable Player at National Championships 1997 & 2010

Nathan Jones – Player • State Player 10 years (2003 – 2013) • National Player 10 years including three

World Championships and in the Gold Medal Team in Canada

• Represented Australia at Commonwealth Championships and won a silver medal

24

Connie Montgomery (dec.) – Administrator

• W.A.S.A (Softball WA) Board of Management 1981 – 1990

• W.A.S.A (Softball WA) Secretary 1980 – 1990

• Team Manager Under 16 Girls 1985 – 1990

• Data input for National Championships in 2002 & 2004

• Served on Canteen, Junior, Fixtures & Grading and Meritorious Awards Committee over various years

Steve Suckling – Umpire • Umpired at two World Championships Adelaide and New Zealand (1991 & 1993)

• Umpired at National Event – Australia 1994

• Umpired at National Championships in seven various years

• State Director of Umpiring for four years

Barrie Sargeant – Administrator

• President of the West Pilbara Softball Association (1975 – 1990 & 2000 – 2015)

• President of All Stars 1975 – 1992 • Assists in the coordination of the North

West Championships • Coordinates Umpires for North West

Championships and DCA Shield

Michael Titheradge – Official

• Team Manager WA Senior Men’s Team three years

• Team Manager Australian Senior Men’s Team eight years including four World Championships in 2004, 2009, 2013 & 2015.

• Softball Australia Hall of Fame inductee 2015

25

State Director of Coaching Report The past 12 months has been busy and exciting time within our State for all coaches. We had a number of High Performance Coaches invited to attend the Friendship Series to learn from and work with other National-level Australian Coaches to develop their own skills and bring back their learning’s to our local coaches. The Softball WA Winter Development Academy also saw a number of our State Coaches get involved in breaking down the fundamentals for our up-and-coming talent, as well as working together on a consistent approach to teaching the fundamentals of the game. We intend to use this Program in 2017, not only to develop players, but also our coaches who aspire to coach at the highest level. WA had eight teams represent at National Championships in 2016, including the return of an Under 23 Men’s team. On behalf of Softball WA, I would like to thank all our Head, Assistant, and Trainee Coaches for their commitment and efforts over these months to help develop and improve our athletes for their respective current Nationals, but more importantly for future Nationals. Your hard work and efforts in 2015 and early 2016 has seen an increase in player nominations for the 2017 Nationals. This year again, Coaching Accreditations at all levels have increased. Having Saskia Kosterink, our Participation and Development Officer, on board to be able to deliver Level 1 has certainly assisted in the rise of

formal accreditations and we do hope many who have made the first step will continue along the coaching pathway, not only at a State level, but to help us retain players at the local level. The following is summary of what was delivered in 2015/16:

• Level 1 Accreditations: 62

• Level 2 Accreditations: 8

• Level 3 Accreditations: 11* *Level 3 accreditations can be completed online through Softball Australia, therefore the actual number of Level 3 Accreditations completed in the last 12 months is likely to be higher. If you are keen to get yourself, or anyone else accredited, please check the Events Calendar on the Softball WA website for upcoming Coaching Accreditation Courses. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants who attended these courses; the commitment to your personal development for the sole purpose of playing members is commendable. We are starting to notice the improvement in all levels of competition. To all Softball WA volunteer coaches, thank you for sacrificing your time over the past 12 months. Development of our players is every coaches number one goal. Finally, congratulations to incoming State Director of Coaching, Karen Sullivan. I wish you all the best in

26

progressing the development of all of our coaches. Milosa Jackson A/State Director of Coaching

27

State Director of Scoring Report The last 12 months has been a productive year for scoring in WA. Two candidates are progressing towards their Level 4 accreditation. We had 46 people complete and pass Level 1 and 12 complete Level 2 with four more still working to complete. Plans are in place to conduct a Level 3 course in October, in time for the start of the summer season. We also had six Level 4 and two Level 3 scorers complete their reaccreditation. Evelyn and I are comparing the WA database with the information on the NOAS and the Softball Australia databases and there are plans in place to manage re-accreditations and to assist people in obtaining advice regarding their accreditations sooner than what is happening at present. Softball WA successfully hosted the U17 Boys Championship in January 2016 with Sandra Palmer from NSW as Tournament Chief Statistician and support from intrastate scorers who were attending. Sandra provided the training for our Level 4 candidates at the Tournament. Planning for the combined U19

Women and U15 Regional/National Championships in January 2017 is well under way with the intention to conduct iScore courses and provide scorer training and mentoring during the week. Work is still continuing on the updating of the scoring accreditation process with the National Scoring Committee and the iScore course, which has been developed, has been trialed in both NSW and Queensland. Scorers travelled with some of the State Representative teams in 2016 and nominations for the 2017 teams have been received. Thank you to those who are willing to give your time and expertise to assist these teams. To all the people who volunteer their time to score at club, association, State and National levels, thank you sincerely for the support that you provide to our sport and your willingness to share your knowledge with others. Lynne Eltoft State Director of Scoring

28

State Director Umpiring Report Over the last year I have concentrated putting people into active roles to instigate umpiring activities. As such, structure of the umpiring group was re-introduced for the benefit of the group and the game. Unlike other state counterparts our structure had disintegrated and there was no inclusion of umpires to sought input or provide feedback as a group. To turn this around and attract others to umpiring, the aim was to create the following:

1. To promote a positive culture among WA umpires

2. To train umpires in ‘on diamond’ skills.

3. To train and up-skill the umpires in how to adapt and deliver the Softball Australia Umpire Development Programs

4. To reward the efforts of individuals.

In addition, one of the further aims was to gain confidence and take the place as the third team in the game in WA. The first move was to set an Executive Committee structure in place (see top right). Congratulations on your appointment and thank you for your hard work and dedication to umpires in WA: Affiliated Association/Competitions Umpires Coordinators complete the chain. Where there is no Coordinator available, the Executive Committee is able to assist by appointing interim Coordinators to ensure the development of umpires.

National and International Representation On a National scale, the change in Tier 1 and 2 National/Regional Championships will assist umpires move along the high performance pathway. Tier 2 tournaments will assist expose umpires who are Level 2 or higher to the National stage and opportunities will be afforded by higher level umpires to assist their development. This move, I expect, will further allow umpires to be included in the National Program. As a result, WA has taken advantage of the situation and four umpires have been included in the Friendship Series for 2017. In addition, five umpires will be representing WA in National/Regional Championships. These umpires are: • Warren Duff • Mark Wareham (currently a

Level 4, being seen as a Level 5 candidate)

• Jamie McLean • Angelo Amara

State Director Roy Cox

State Administration Officer

Jamie McLean

Examining Officer

Peter Baker

Technical Officer

Roy Cox

Education and Training Officers

Ian Helliwell Mark Wareham Steve Gunter Darryl Pearce

29

• Darryl Pearce This is an exceptional effort and follows directly from the increased activity around the State. Training for this group and prospective representative umpires has started under the guidance of Warren Duff and myself. From an international perspective, Warren Duff recently did WA proud by attending the Japan Cup representing WA. Congratulations Warren on your efforts. Your dedication and commitment to Softball and umpiring will hopefully inspire others to follow the same path. Training During the Under 17 Boys National Championships, Scott Rindfleish (the visiting Tournament Chief Umpire) provided a full training course to cover two of three levels for assessors. This course used the National Championship games and was provided at no cost to WA. Further training is anticipated within the 2017 National Championships. The ability to secure National Championships until 2020 is a vital step to umpire development. Theory Exam A curve ball was thrown when Softball Australia altered the date and brought forward the exam. Overall participant numbers were down but average marks were still good. With the basic exam now open all year, the expectation is that more people will be able to obtain entry-level accreditations. Further, the Softball Australia Technical Officer has assisted me to make a basic exam hard copy

available so that the FIFO workers in Northwest and Kalgoorlie areas can overcome problems of computer access, which taunted them this year. This is one area that I want to pursue to increase participation and learning. As the number of umpires increases, compliance is essential with all umpires being required to sit testing regularly and achieve the marks to maintain their accreditation status. Diamond Coverage On diamond activity has been constantly improving. Carnivals have been well serviced, as have been fixture games and finals series right throughout the State. Affiliates are encouraged to engage with us to ensure adequate servicing and diamond coverage at fixture competitions and events. Future Plans The Umpiring Executive and I are aware of the aspirational goals and targets for growth of Softball in WA. We are in the process of aligning our plans and activities to hopefully meet these targets. In summary, we intend on servicing existing umpires and see that they have their needs covered, while also improving on and off diamond skills with the view that it will result in more professionalism and respect among the umpiring fraternity. We will also aim to address the issue around communication with a view to use Social Media and the web, to better service and update umpires in our sport. I wish to acknowledge the contributions of my Executive Committee Members and of Dean Burton and Geoff Shaw. Also the

30

help of Peter Baker and Jamie McLean who have continued to contribute despite their own suffering this year. I look forward to the coming 12 months to improve

the number and standard of umpires across the state. Roy Cox State Director of Umpiring

31

North West Championships Umpires Report This year saw the Championships being played in Port Hedland, hosted by the Port Hedland T-Ball Association. After last year’s 40th anniversary year, this year saw a reduced amount of teams attend the championship weekend. The reduction of teams meant pressure for the supply of Metro umpires was not as pronounced but there was still a need to have six experienced umpires travel to Port Hedland from Perth. Once again I had the pleasure of assisting to get a crew of highly committed and passionate umpires from the Metropolitan area to help out for the weekend. The umpires that made up the group were Stewart Baker, Steven Gunter, Jamie McLean, Peter Baker, Bart Lethlean, Paul Kopellis and Ian Helliwell. In addition to umpires that travelled from Perth, we had two scorers Evelyn Harvey, Michelle Gunter and statistician Vanessa Cooke travel with us. Within this group of umpires and scorers we had a large range of experience levels, which also include umpiring examiner Peter Baker and scoring examiner Evelyn Harvey. The championship weekend provides a great opportunity for umpires and scorers to be assessed for their next umpiring and scoring level. Due to the amount of games being played and different levels of playing stands from all the teams it’s the ideal tournament for Levels 1 to 3 umpire assessments. Over the weekend we had a number of umpires reach the standard required to obtain their

next umpiring levels. Umpires Stewart Baker and Bart Lethlean received their Level 3. Young locals from Port Hedland, Alex Britcliffe (14), Declan Rahman (13), Kade Denney (12) and Josh Denney (10), also gained some very valuable time umpiring as trainees working alongside the umpires participating in the Championships. All umpires had the opportunity to do a rules and diamond rotation workshop with Ian Helliwell, Jamie MacLean, Steve Gunter and Peter Baker - Training and Development umpires from Perth. After the training, umpires could then spend time on the diamonds to put the new knowledge into practice. At the conclusion of the championship all umpires were provided with written feedback from the tournaments umpiring examiner Peter Baker. All umpires found this feedback very good. The weekend provides an opportunity for all umpires to have discussions with other umpires that have volunteered from the North West and Metropolitan area, to share their knowledge and experience with others. The four young trainee umpires were a pleasure to work with during the weekend and all have very bright futures in umpiring. On the diamond training was amazing to watch, with these kids doing a normal out signal and call to having the confidence to do a big punch out call with a shout of ‘Out’ to go with the punch. This also gave all the senior umpires a lift to watch these kids grow in front of us.

32

The championship concluded with the grand final between Karratha and Port Hedland. This game was umpired using a 4 man umpiring system. Stewart Baker (Plate), Ian Helliwell (First Base), Bart Lethlean (Second Base) and Jamie McLean (Third Base). Karratha ran out 3 – 2 winners in a 7 innings game that was completed in 63 minutes. It was a great game to complete the weekend. This year also coincided with the North West Softball Umpires Association AGM. With the group of local and metropolitan umpire in attendance it was a great opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues from umpiring rules changes, online exams, online registrations, bringing new umpires into the system and fundraising for future championships. A couple of the issues that were discussed

included opportunities to try and encourage new umpires into the system for next year and umpires being asked to get permits to umpire in the North West when we are all part of the Softball Australia system. The dedicated work over many years of North West Umpiring Coordinator, Barrie Sargent has made the North West Softball Championships a very valuable and necessary competition for the training and developing of softball umpires in the North West. Without this competition in the WA softball calendar, it would take away a major opportunity for the training and development of the North West umpires. Ian Helliwell Umpires Education & Training Officer WA Softball

Grand Final Crew North West Women’s Softball Championships Ian Helliwell (First Base), Stewart Baker (Plate), Jamie McLean (Third Base) and Bart

Lethlean (Second Base)

33

Premier League Awards 2015-16 �

Premiers

Carine Cats

Most Valuable Player (Raylene Barron Memorial Award)

Saskia Kosterink - Carine Cats

Players Player Kylie Sparks - Twin City Lakers

Batting Award

Tori Bolland (.514) - Jaguars

Slugging Average

Jemma Freegard (.698) - Twin City Lakers

RBI’s

Saskia Kosterink (18) - Carine Cats

Stolen Bases

Leah Parry (8) - Bayswater Morley Monarchs McKenzie Giles- Martin (8) - Carine Cats

Earned Run Average Golden Glove

Amber Johnson (0.69) - Carine Cats Lauren Lange (.972) - Twin City Lakers

Rising Star Award

McKenzie Giles-Martin - Carine Cats

Best Player of Grand Final Series (Shirley Schneider Medal)

Amber Johnson - Carine Cats

34

State Representative Teams 2016 – Individual Awards

Under 15 Girls Most Improved Batting Award Best Pitcher

Willow Swinbourn Amber Bloxsome Ashlee Harwood

Under 17 Girls Most Valuable Player RBI’s

Samantha Oakley Sara Riou

Under 17 Boys Most Valuable Player Batting Average

Jett Wright Jett Wright

Under 19 Women’s Most Valuable Player RBI’s

Rachel Leong Rachel Leong Emma McLean Brittany Keen

Under 19 Men Most Valuable Player RBI’s

Jack Burt James Watson Jett Wright

Open Women’s Most Valuable Player RBI’s Open Men’s Most Valuable Player RBI’s Newcrest Mining Spirit Award

Leigh Godfrey Tammy McMillan Leigh Godfrey Kylie Sparks Aaron Cockman Jay Rakich Aaron Cockman

35

Open Women’s Coaches Report Nominations and Team Selection This season was somewhat a transition season with a number of past Flames athletes retiring or opting for time away from competing at the top level after the 2015 Nationals. In terms of numbers, the Flames basically lost six out of our starting lineup from the previous season. This presented some initial challenges in terms of gathering a squad together but the positive light from the outset was that the athletes that put their hand up to play wanted to be there for the right reasons. There was a real drive and commitment to re-invigorate the Flames culture and be apart of the re-building process. One of the coaching staff goals during this phase was to commit to taking a full roster (16 athletes) to the Nationals. With 12 WA based players on the roster at the commencement we were able to add two international athletes from the UWA Softball Club and made the decision to go into the draft to pick up two players to fill our roster. Training and Preparation Program As a team we decided to focus on re-defining the Flames culture. We had a number of new athletes or inexperienced Flames athletes in our team so we felt it was important to allow everyone the opportunity to have ownership of the Flames culture. Right from the start of our training program we set aside time to discuss, debate and implement the type of culture that this group of athletes wanted the Flames to be about for this season and beyond.

Training session structure was about maximising time on task for the athletes and we took an approach as coaches of quality over quantity. Feedback from the athletes post-tournament was very positive about this approach and they enjoyed the small competitive games that were regularly incorporated into training. As we had a number of new/inexperienced athletes in key positions this season we spent more time on our set defensive plays and developing the connections and communication between positional players that would hopefully help us stand up under pressure. We also focused on training for the adjustments such as practicing fielding balls in positions for when we have defensive shift on. Lack of catching depth was an issue for the preparation in terms of having them available to be able to work with our pitchers at training on a regular basis and participate in the other defensive drills/plays that the rest of the team required. This is something that we will need to address and find a more workable solution for next season. Overall we prepared as well as could have under the circumstances and there was a good feeling amongst the group prior to the tournament Tournament We had two major themes that our goals were centered on for this tournament:

1. Be the best team that this team can be.

2. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

36

We were challenged the entire week with the weather and this was the most disappointing aspect, as we didn’t really get a chance to see where we were at due to the lack of games. To the athletes credit they handled the adversity extremely well and stuck together through the frustrating on-going game delays. In the end we played one-game on the first day and then effectively 3-days later played 4-games within 24-hours which didn’t allow for a lot of reflection time in order to work on things from previous games. Defensively on the whole our inexperienced team held up better than expected and every game we were within reach of the opposition. Offensively we struggled to capitilise when we had runners in scoring positions, especially early in games, when we had opportunities to take momentum away from our opposition. The battery did a great job and it was most pleasing to see the development of the pitcher/catcher relationships between our experienced pitchers and inexperienced catchers. This will hold us in good stead for the future. The final result was 6th place, which was disappointing in that we weren’t able to string together enough hits to get us over the line, especially as all of our games were close.

Awards • MVP – Leigh Godfrey • RBI’s – Leigh Godfrey, Kylie

Sparks and Tammy McMillan

Acknowledgements Right from my appointment as Head Coach it was fantastic to have the support of Geoff Shaw as manager by my side. He diligently takes care of the logistical side of things for the team and it is so great to have someone on board who is so passionate about the game and cares for the athletes. It was also pleasing to get Ashleigh Medwin, a former Flames athlete, on staff in her first coaching appointment. Her enthusiasm and willingness to learn ensured she was a popular member of the officials’ team with the athletes. Nathan Jones was fantastic in giving up his time to attend trainings and offers his expertise in a number of areas of the game. Even though he was unable to travel with the team his willingness to share ideas and help with the development of our inexperienced athletes and coaching staff was invaluable. Once again our physio Rebecca Yip was outstanding in every aspect and someone who the athletes really trust for her professional approach. Chantelle James Head Coach – Western Flames

37

Open Men’s Coaches Report The 2016 National Championship campaign was challenging from the beginning with six first year players being named after losing some very experienced international players from our roster. The combination of a serious knee injury and a broken arm in the first three days forced some players to carry an extra workload, which eventually took its toll during the finals. Finishing third with 5 wins was a good result but ultimately in our final game the bats didn't produce and we finished fourth. The leadership group led by Captain Scott Patterson ensured our culture remained strong and all players met standards throughout our build up. I would like to thank Nathan Atkinson and Mark Harris who assisted with putting together teams to play practice games against and this certainly contributed to our achievements during the Championship. Thank you again to Roy Cox, Warren Duff and Darryl Pearce for providing their time to umpire these games and to Dale Districts Association for allowing the team to train at their ballpark. A special thank you is extended to the Geraldton, Bunbury and Rockingham Associations for hosting the team during practice games. I hope these will continue into the coming years and become a feature event on their annual calendar. Individually we produced some outstanding results with Chris Wescombe awarded the National Tournament Rookie Award and Jay Rakich being named in his first All

Tournament Team. A special mention goes to Tyson Duncan who suffered a broken arm when a ball was hit back at him whilst pitching. With a massive heart he returned to the mound 2 days later under extreme pain. Congratulations and goodluck to Aaron Cockman, Andrew Havercroft, Mark Harris, Tyson Duncan and Brendon O'Byrne for their selection in the Aussie Steeler's training squad for a place in the 2017 World Championship team. Finally, I would like to thank the efforts of the Team Executive who gave up their time for this year’s program; Assistant Coach Mike Shipard was a valuable contributor to myself and the individuals in this team; Brendon Perks in his first year was vital to our catchers with his knowledge and experience; and Lisa Beaney, our statistician, who continues to contribute. First time Manager Chermai Cockman gained an insight into how the men's program works and she completed her duties as if she had been doing the role for years, her ability to manage this Team off the field was outstanding. To Gail Boccardo who had to withdraw as Manager, thank you for assisting, organising and running the Team pre-tournament. You were missed and your time was greatly appreciated by everyone. This Team continues to build with a new nucleus of main stay players, maintaining their strong culture and training habits. A commitment to bringing new players into the program will help them to again

38

achieve their goal of being the number one State in Australia. I remain confident that this Team will achieve further success and win a National Championships in the very near future.

Gary Butler Head Coach - Western Blaze

39

Under 23 Men’s Coaches Report The 2016 National Under 23 Men’s Championship campaign was a welcome inclusion for players after it’s absence from the competition for multiple years. It was a shock disappointment, finishing third after a great starting game but unfortunately, was the result of a lack of capitalisation throughout the rest of the rounds. After beating Queensland in the first round game, we faced them again in the first final. What a difference two days and no sleep make (due to rain and a poor draw) as we failed in our attempts to make our way into the grand final and finished third. We created a culture based heavily on self-belief, accountability, mateship and hard work. This allowed the team to challenge each other on their individual, and more importantly, team goals. This resulted in positive outcomes with more runs scored, RBI's, more walks and less strike-outs which included seven different home run hitters. Individually we produced some outstanding results with Matthew Beckett named in the All Tournament Team at Shortstop and Ayden Powell finishing with a batting average of 0.500. I would like to thank the Dale District Softball Association for the use of their playing fields and Softball WA for preparing our diamonds for use during our

practice games. Also I would like to acknowledge and thank the time and assistance given to this team by current Blaze player Brendan O’Byrne; Umpire Warren Duff who once again was very solid behind the plate during our practice matches; and also the Bayswater-Morley Monarchs and Perth Outlaws teams for the warm up games. Special thanks to the Geraldton Softball Association who hosted a two game tournament for us, as well as our bus driver and umpire Hank. Finally, I would like to thank the efforts of the Team Executive who gave up their time for this year’s program, which included Assistant Coach Geoff Shaw and Cathy Bertolini for scoring and managing. This Team has made integral changes to player expectation at the Under 23’s level, including inroads into defining a selection process, culture, training habits and a commitment that enables individuals to embrace both short term and long term individual and team goals. I am confident that this team will achieve further success and win a National Championships in the very near future. Royce Swinbourn Head Coach - Under 23 Men

40

Under 19 Women’s Coaches Report Pre tournament, the Under 19 Women’s (the “Sparks”) selection process and training was hindered with the withdrawal or unavailability of several key athletes which left selectors with the task of approaching younger athletes within the State system to fill the void. We selected Rhylee Rogers from Tom Price and Zienna Leigh-Cornell from Bunbury. We entered the National draft and chose Ashleigh Kirk from Queensland to join our squad. With Brielle Karklin, Kasey Kopp and Brianna Patrick all 15 years of age and Samantha Oakley at 16 years of age, we were entering the Tournament with a very youthful team. We presented this situation to our squad not as a negative but as a wonderful opportunity for young athletes to show their ability at a National Tournament. Our management group was also young in terms of coaching experience at this level in Softball. To overcome this we had Chantelle James added to our staff as a mentor and battery coach. This proved a complete success with myself, Ryan Hoypoy and Michael Karklin all gaining invaluable knowledge from Chantelle. Our pre-tournament build up included intense up-skilling of our young squad at training sessions and introducing the required Sparks team culture, which had been developed over a number of years. We hosted two training clinics, for Rockingham City and Districts Association juniors and Thornlie Hawks. These were both well-received and assisted in raising funds to assist with the

athletes' levies. We also we played an exhibition match against the WA Flames Open Women’s team at Rockingham. Part of our preparation also included scrimmages against the WA U17 Women team and the Flames. At the Tournament, our accommodation in Brisbane was at Eastwood Apartments in Wooloongabba. It was most suitable and was located approx. 40 minute drive to Redlands Softball diamonds. The Redlands facility was wonderfully presented which made for a great tournament. On day one we played South Australia first up and had a win, 4-1. The staff and players were elated with the first up win but could not back things up in the second game of that day, resulting in a 5-0 loss to ACT. On our first day we showed our ability as well as our lack of experience. Day two was similar day one as far as winning our first game against Tasmania 3-2, but unable to back it up against a strong Victorian batting team, resulting in a loss 13-3. At the end of day two we had won 2 games out of 4, which was above expectations. Day three was a tough day with 3 games for the day. We lost to New South Wales 9-0 and Queensland 10-0 in our first 2 games but were involved in a fantastic tiebreaker against South Australia in the third game. Twice we fell behind in the match only to fight back and prevail 3-2 in the 9 innings match. Our young athletes showed enormous courage to continually fight back

41

and prevail in the match. Day four would prove to be a day that hurt our chances in the tournament We had won a game on all three previous days but were unable to find victory on day four. After a late game the previous night, our inexperience showed with losses to New South Wales, 9-1 and ACT, 2-0. The ACT game was a tiebreaker, which we ran out of energy in the finish. Day five saw us have an 8-1 victory against Tasmania followed by a 10 -0 loss to Queensland. This left us with 4 wins in total and a most important match to follow on day six against Victoria. On day six we needed to beat Victoria to make finals. Our poor runs against total meant a win was our only option. We led for most of the game but some errors by players and coaches saw us beaten 3-2 and our finals hopes were dashed. Throughout the Tournament we were able to give our young athletes invaluable exposure to a high level of Softball which will hopefully reap rewards in the future. Our young battery group were fantastic under Chantelle's leadership and stood up throughout the Tournament. All of our battery group were first year players at the U19 age group. We were very aware of developing an off diamond culture throughout the Tournament that represented WA softball players in a good light. Our players grouped together at one of the U15's games to give our WA development girls our full support. On another day we

organised for our players to have a five-minute one-to-one discussion with the U15 girls. Our players asked them how their tournament was going and what they enjoyed most about Softball. I felt it was important for this interaction to happen to strengthen the bonds of Softball players in our State system and to give the U15 girls support. It is also the culture we were trying to instill in our players, to give back to the sport that has given them so much. As a group we thanked the ground staff for the way they had presented the Redlands facility. They were most surprised we had taken time to do this and very happy we did. Again it is a give back culture we were trying to foster. I have high praise for all of my management team for the highest commitment both in the lead up to and during the Tournament. Chantelle James, Michael Karklin and Ryan Hoypoy did a wonderful job in the coaching of the athletes. Kathy Muggridge as Manager, Milosa Jackson as Statistician and Courtney Keen as our Physiotherapist, all played a great role in the team performance. Post Tournament After the completion of the tournament we gave our draft player, Asleigh Kirk, to debrief her tournament. She received feedback on some of her on diamond techniques as well as the culture of being in a State team. She was a wonderful pick up as a draft player from another State and we wished her well in being selected for her home State in the future. I also felt it necessary to have a debrief session with the 4 youngest

42

members of our squad. I wanted to let them know how fortunate they were to have the opportunity they were presented with and to share their experiences with other young athletes. Rhylee Rogers from Tom Price has another year in the Sparks so I felt it necessary to link her up with a Premier League Club as well as a local club so she could gain more experience. I offered her ideas on clubs to join, considering the experience within those clubs, as well as close proximity to where she lives in Perth. She had a great tournament and with more exposure to quality competition will be a player to watch. I gained valuable knowledge about this group of players and have many ideas on how to further improve their performance in future years. I will be presenting some of these ideas to the State team committee at a future debrief. Drew Herrington Head Coach – Under 19 Women “Sparks”

43

Under 17 Girls Coaches Report The Under 17 Girls National Championships in Blacktown, New South Wales was a letdown to say the least. Having it rain so much and limit the number of games was a huge factor in the results that were achieved. The lead-up this year was relatively good. The girls trained well and we had good practice matches against Rockingham, SEMSA, Raffles from Singapore and the Under 19 Women. The Kalamunda Carnival was good again this year to aid prepare for tournament play. At the tournament, the girls played really well defensively and I believe they were in the top three. We struggled to execute offensively, which didn’t get us through the close games. Having only five games to qualify in the end was our downfall. Having the four-day delay to finish our first pool game against ACT mentally unsettled the girls. Having to sit at the hotel not doing anything because we were messaged every 4 hours to when we play next was not acceptable. In that game, our start was great with getting on top of ACT 4-1, before the rain delay. When we finally resumed the game, we let it slip away. We bounced back really well against New South Wales, being the only team to take them to 1-0 in the 7th inning. We had our chances to score but couldn’t capitalise. Being down two games now and three to play, we had to win all games to guarantee a spot in the finals. The South Australia game was well played and we were unlucky to lose in 11 innings. After

this game we had a 25 minutes in between games before we had to play Victoria who took advantage of both our tiredness and emotions and got ahead early. We couldn’t recover and lost. Queensland was a tough game. We played well holding them to one run through 4 innings. Then we had two minor injuries to both pitchers and ended up losing by 5 runs. The girls came out with passion against ACT in the playoff and won to salvage some pride to finish 5th overall. I believe if there weren’t a rain delay, we would have finished at least 3rd. We had a lot of parents and coaches from the other teams complementing our players on how well we did and were unlucky to have not been in the finals. The pitching was on par with all the teams and so was our defence. Offensively we didn’t put enough pressure on teams and weren’t able to execute in pivotal moments. I believe that with a full tournament we would have won 4-5 games in the round robin. In closing, I believe that the academy from last winter is starting to show some results and that we need to keep them playing in the winter. Having nine players return to the team next year and not losing any infielders, the team is in a better position next year to be a contender. I am more passionate now more than ever to get back there and show what we as a State have got to show Australia. Steven Macknak Head Coach – Under 17 Girls

44

Under 17 Boys Coaches Report After the events of 2015, with the team reaching a grand final and narrowly losing to New South Wales, I had high hopes and expectations on numbers for 2016. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be, as we only received 11 nominations and were possibly going to lose two of our most experienced campaigners. We were fortunate enough to receive feedback from James Harris about two players in South Australia that were keen to play for WA. These two players joined our ranks and slotted in perfectly with the team. Harry May was exceptional and filled our number two spot in the batting line-up perfectly. We received five late nominations and they were all exceptional players and were happy with the performances of the late inclusions. Jason Armstrong who worked his way into the starting line-up, and Kingsley Dawson our Geraldton import was exceptional from day one.

Jett Wright and Dawson Summers got their approvals to participate from Baseball WA and led the team exceptionally well with their performances. The team did outstandingly, defeating both the New South Wales and Queensland who competed into the finals and secured WA a place into the finals in 4th place. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to defeat ACT in our elimination final and were knocked out. A number of these players will continue next year and have also migrated into top grades and I look forward to seeing their progression over the next few years. One point I’ll stress again with out players, is that there is no quick fix for getting better. You have to put the hard work in. Turning up won’t win you a National title or a place in an Australian team. Mark Harris Head Coach – Under 17 Boys

45

Under 15 Girls Coaches Report Team preparation In 2016, the U15 Girls Regional Tournament was held in Brisbane. Trying to get 16 young girls ready for a regional tournament in three months is not an easy task. We started our training program with basic fundamental skills and drills, followed by situational plays and scratch matches against the Under 17 Girls and the Singapore Raffle Team. The girls worked extremely hard and all of them have improved over the three-month period. Tournament Although the end result may be seen as not have a great tournament, I do believe the girls developed throughout the Tournament and the losses were only small. The adjustment to the pitching was quite big, as the team had faced limited numbers of pitchers and had little experience in varying kinds of pitching. The first couple of games we struggled to score runs, but our great pitching staff, kept us alive in most games. Later in the tournament our offense improved, which eventually resulted in a couple of wins, which gave the team confidence and belief that they could do it. Challenges The biggest challenge that we faced was the pitching. Softball WA is lacking the pitching strength and depth compared to the Eastern States. In order to get better and bigger, we have to create more

learning opportunities and coaching in this department so the players can get the experience and skills they need to compete strongly at the Regional Tournaments. Summary We had a fantastic group to work with. All the girls worked hard every step of the way, which resulted in a very close team. I believe that the tournament was a positive step in their development on and off the field and I’m looking forward to see how the girls progress in the next few years. I would like to thank my assistant coach Melissa Robertson for the time, effort and commitment she put in as well as the knowledge she brought to the team. Nicci Macknak did an amazing job again as Team Manager. She took care of everything outside of the diamond, which made life much easier. To Natalie Swinbourn, who came along as our Statistician and assisted Nicci with the day-to-day duties including preparing all the meals for the team and staff. To Sharon Rafferty and Sharee Giles, thank you for coming on board during our preparation and giving us you time to help improve our players and getting them game ready for the Tournament. Saskia Kosterink Head Coach – Under 15 Girls

46

Under 16 Boys Development Team Coaches Report I would like to thank the Softball WA Board of Directors for having the foresight to approve this tour to Singapore. My vision was to use this opportunity to stimulate the interest for our junior boys to start their journey of representative Softball, to enable WA to field it's inaugural team at the Under 15 Australian Regional Tournament in January 2017. We will now achieve that goal. It wasn't all smooth going in the beginning with only 11 players nominating ranging from 11 - 16 years old. The tournament was for players 15 and under. I am thankful that the tournament organiser's agreed to allow our 2 over aged players to attend. Now that we had a team, we need to find an assistant coach. Stood up was Shawn Bogle. Shawn made the commitment to become involved; he had experience but lacked confidence. He was faced with some challenges and mentored throughout the eight-week program. He is now the inaugural 2017 Head Coach of the Under 15 Boys Regional Team and I am very confident he will lead the team brilliantly. The tournament was very memorable for a number of reasons and the standout would be the lightning rule. The Singapore Education Department have a law that if lightning is within 10 km school children must retreat under cover. This is a safety rule implemented because of Singapore’s reputation for having the most air to ground lightning

strikes in the world. It's difficult to understand when the alarm goes off but no lightning is insight for miles, sometimes for hours. It is now very funny (though, at the time frustrating) in one game; we were behind 4-3 in the last innings with one out, a runner on first and in the heart of our line-up. About 80 people groaned in disbelief when we were met the sound of the lightning alarm. Another of our games lasted just over five hours due to lightning concerns. The players got to meet, play against and become friends with athletes from Singapore, Malaysia and ACT. They toured internationally, played seven games, experienced a different culture (including food, language and education) plus the added opportunity to sightsee and also experience their first build up to tournament Softball. If you have the chance, ask the players about their experience with the food. I would like to thank Noelene Butler who as a first time Manager taking a team overseas, with players who had never travelled internationally, did an amazing and fantastic job, kept all the boys happy, amused and kept them in-line throughout the week. We managed to visit Sentosa Island, Universal Studios, Adventure Cove, China Town, a river cruise, plus shopping centers and used the train system. I would like to thank the parents and guardians for allowing their child to participate and also for having the confidence in Shawn, Noelene and I that we would

47

improve their life experience and look after them overseas. 2016 U16 Boys Development Team included:

• Christopher Berriman, • Zachary Brozek, • Jack Calcott, • Aaron French, • Corey Hallion, • Zachary Mullen,

• Michael O'Meara, • Joseph Peach, • Logan Rae, • Brody Ridley, • Benjamin Sorenson,

Gary Butler Head Coach - Under 16 Boys Development Team

48

Financial Year Ending 30 June 2016

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

Softball Western Australia Inc.

Tel: 6181 3900

Email: admin@softballwa.org.au

Web: www.wa.softball.org,au