Highlights We are working towards best practice in all areas of our sport. Aussie success The Aussie Spirit shone through to win a hard fought bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Along the way they provided one of the highlights of the Softball competition with their courageous 12 innings loss to Japan, the eventual gold medallists. Our national men's teams, the Aussie Steelers and Aussie Colts, cemented Australia as the number one Softball nation with dominant performances in their respective world championships. While these victories didn't occur in this reporting year, such great achievements are worthy of a mention this year. Governance reform Our new constitution was adopted in October 2008 and Softball Australia became a company limited by guarantee on 13 January 2009. Our new Board was elected on 4 April 2009. Work continues with Member States to align our policies and constitutions. Growth through our juniors Our National Junior Recruitment Program pilot was launched, supporting our push for junior development to reinvigorate involvement in our sport. Our bottom line The last 12 months has seen a significant turn-around in our financial performance. We achieved a surplus of $181,605 (against a budget of $103,299) largely due to tight cost controls and savings in key program areas. People power Our achievements over the last 12 months are largely due to the dedication and hard work of the Softball Australia staff and to the volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to support our sport. The tireless work of our umpires, coaches, scorers, administrators and many other volunteers contribute to a great Softball experience for all participants. Special recognition must go to Danielle Stewart who was the driving force behind the ISF's BackSoftball campaign in Australia and who represented us so skilfully on the international stage. National Championship In November, our Women's National League was successfully relaunched as the Gilley's Shield. Congratulations to Queensland, the inaugural winner, and to our other National Champions: ACT (Open Men), NSW (Under 19 Women and Under 16 Girls), Victoria (Under 16 Boys) and WA (Under 19 Men). Well done all! The way forward In May 2009 the Board signed off our five year strategic plan. This plan, which addresses all the recommendations in Too Few; Too Much, charts a challenging and ambitious course for the organisation and for Softball over the next five years. 1 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Photographer: Katrina Smethurst Kerry Wyborn, Justine Smethurst, Tracey Mosely 2 From the Chairman A landmark year for Softball It is a pleasure to report on a landmark year in the history of Softball in Australia. The successful transition of the organisation's governance structure and consolidation of our ranking as the world's top Softball nation are two highlights in a year distinguished by change across every dimension of the business – change that has set Softball Australia on a new course for the future. The successes of the Aussie Colts and the Aussie Steelers in bringing home the championship trophies at their respective World Championships has excited Softballers around the nation, as did the feats of the Aussie Spirit in Beijing. The all conquering Aussie Steelers are our first senior World Champions since 1965! Well done all! Our national teams are the most visible aspect of Softball Australia's work. The success of our teams promotes pride in our product, as well as strengthening our recruitment and retention campaigns, which are a key part of our five year strategic plan. The path forward In order for Softball to prosper we must have clear objectives and maintain a strong focus on those objectives. Our five year plan has been adopted along with the updated policies and delegations. Much can be achieved in five years particularly with a group working in concert towards a shared vision. The plan is aggressive. Our objectives are focused and designed to achieve our vision. Our strategic plan provides a framework for that focus. It compels us to pay attention to what is important – our members and potential members. It identifies how we must allocate our financial and non-financial resources to achieve our vision. It recognizes the importance of our people (staff and volunteers) who will make it happen. It guides the development of our products and services, thereby ensuring they meet our members' needs now and into the future. With the new constitution adopted in October 2008, governance reform across the sport continues to be high on the Board's agenda and inroads have been made in Member States to align our Constitutions. On behalf of the Board I would like to thank our Member States, their Boards and staff who are dedicated to the task of bringing about positive change to Softball. While there have been significant obstacles to overcome, their devotion to our sport is obvious and their commitment to our new direction is concrete. 3 The IOC's decision not to consider Softball for the 2016 Olympic program was disappointing. The BackSoftball campaign brought to light the need for the game to build on its competitive advantages. In the short term this means family and community – a sport for all, an inclusive game. It has also revealed the need to anticipate and respond to changes in the sport marketplace, domestically and internationally. This includes embracing a new membership structure and the way we relate to our constituents. These are also some of the elements highlighted in the Australian Sports Commission's (ASC) paper Australian Sport: Emerging Challenges, New Directions. I would like to congratulate Matt Miller on his appointment as CEO of the ASC and thank him and his team, in particular Greg Nance, for continuing the collaborative effort to transform Softball. Acknowledgements Congratulations to the Softball Australia's 2008 Hall of Fame inductees and Service Award winners, all of whom are listed on page 18 of this report. There are six players to whom I would like to pay tribute for their exceptional contribution to our game: . Three of our Aussie Spirit team members distinguished themselves by winning medals at four consecutive Olympic Games. o Tanya Harding, Melanie Roche and Natalie Ward – no other Australian female athlete in any sport has achieved this feat. Congratulations on magnificent careers and the roles you have played in Australian Olympic and Softball history! . Three Aussie Steelers announced their retirements at the end of the World Championships following stellar careers. o Mike Harrow – five time World Championship player who became our most capped male athlete with 160 caps and equalled the record for World Championship participation. o Terry Downes – four time World Championship player with 109 caps. o Jeff Goolagong – two time World Championship player with 105 caps. All three players leave the game as World Champions! Congratulations to our returning Directors Darryl Clout, Jenny Cassidy and Maree Holden; to our new Directors Dennis Cullen, Vicki Lahey and Selwyn Williams (all of whom who were elected at the Special General Meeting on 4 April); and to Andrew Seeckts, who was appointed for a second term. I would like to extend my personal thanks to these Directors for their hard work and contributions to the governance of the sport since Softball Australia Limited was established. I would like to acknowledge retiring President Phil Matthewson and thank him for the work undertaken on behalf of Softball during his 11 years on the Board which included three years as President. Ken Culpitt, who has contributed so much to Softball as an active volunteer since 1977, chose not to continue as a Director after eight years of service to the Board. Sue Rindfleish also stepped down as a Director to concentrate on her duties as President of Softball NSW. Softball is very lucky that both Ken and Sue are continuing their involvement in the sport. 4 Mark McAllion resigned as CEO in December. Our thanks go to Mark for his commitment to addressing the challenges faced by Softball Australia. Sue Noble has joined us at a time when we are confronting many issues concurrently and has admirably tackled this task. I thank her for her work and that of the team at Softball Australia. All in Softball give thanks to the volunteers whose many thousands of hours and dedicated efforts underpin our game. A vibrant, successful future is dependent on all our players and volunteers continuing to be positive and passionate ambassadors for our sport. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Too Few; Too Much review by the ASC, which motivated us to commit to change and set us on a new path. As we move forward, we must ensure that we learn and take the best from the past, while at the same time always seeking to improve. We look forward to travelling our new path together with you. In fact we are relying on your companionship! Jenny Holliday Chairman Beijing Olympic Games 2008 5 From the Chief Executive Officer A year of challenges and transformation When I arrived at Softball Australia in January I came to a sport that was facing many on and off-diamond challenges – some straight forward, others quite complex. The Too Few; Too Much report made a number of recommendations on actions required to address these challenges and to transform the sport to position it for a successful future. My predecessor, Mark McAllion, and the then Softball Australia Board led by Phil Matthewson, had made a great start and fundamental reforms were well underway. A new governance structure and constitution had been agreed, and on 13 January the organisation moved from an incorporated association to a company limited by guarantee.