TAble of Contents
Life Members 3
Hall of Fame 4
Board of Directors & Staff 5
Board & Operational Committees 6
President & CEO Report 7
High Performance Report 10
Scoring Report 11
Umpiring Report 13
Events Committee Report 14
National Representatives 17
Awards 18
Financial Statements 28 Life Members
1946 Jack Owens* 1988 Aubrey Kotz
1946 William Newsome* 1989 Betty McGuire
1947 Irene Burrowes* 1996 Margo Koskelainen OAM
1948 Lorraine Michaels 1998 John Byrne
1949 Jack Franklin* 1999 Lyn Bishop
1950 William Muir* 1999 Lorraine Davies
1951 Roy Bartlett* 1999 Vivienne Triplett*
1952 Frances Craig* 2001 Des Smith
1953 Dorothy Lumsden 2003 Bill Gobbart*
1954 Judy Thompson 2006 George James
1954 Gwen Hoopell 2009 Kevin Broomhall
1955 Thomas Dobson* 2009 Leigh Evans
1956 Esther Deason MBE* 2010 Dot Bourke
1963 Glory Bain 2010 Rhonda Scammell
1964 Elizabeth Dornan* 2012 Esther Lightowler
1968 Myrtle Edwards* 2014 Debbie Grove
1971 Merle Short* 2015 Helen Edwards
1975 Marjorie Dwyer* 2017 Mary Walkinshaw
1977 Lorraine Ireland 2017 Kerrie Maddern
1979 Pauline Carew* 2018 Deb Keogh
1980 Midge Nelson MBE 2018 John Larter
1984 Arthur Allsopp* 2019 Bryan Edwards
1986 Elaine Duyvestyn 2019 Greg Brown
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Hall of Fame
1993 Jan Allsopp 1993 Vivienne Triplett
1993 Rhonda Boyd 1993 Norma Woods (Allsopp)
1993 Helena Coghlan 1993 Arthur Allsopp
1993 Esther Deason MBE 1993 Marj Dwyer
1993 Judy De Lacy 1993 Elinor McKenzie
1993 Bess Dornan 1996 Sandra Troyhan
1993 Myrtle Edwards 1997 Leanne Evans
1993 Rita Guy 2005 Ken Allan
1993 Denise Hutchinson-Daynes 2018 Peta Edebone
1993 Josephine Loton 2018 Kerry Franklin
1993 MerrilynMiddlin 2019 Jean Wynn
1993 Midge Nelson BEM 2019 Jenny Holliday
1993 Joanne Paez 2019 Kerrie Maddern
1993 Gladys Phillips 2019 Kris Kiefel
1993 Marjorie Sargent 2019 Margo Koskelainen
1993 Merle Short 2019 Nicole Richardson
1993 Margaret Swann 2019 Paul Maisey
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 4 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Board of Directors
President Bron Madigan
Chair Anthony Bradstreet
Ben Byrnes Roger Maddern (Retired) Alison Lyons (Resigned) Ruth Caldwell Directors Mike Billing Michelle Clyne Liza Newnham Adam Woolnough
Staff
Chief Executive Officer Nick Frayne
Operations & Events Coordinator Cheryl Waye
Regional Development Coordinator - East Danielle Rigg
Regional Development Coordinator – West Tim Hatzi
Sporting Schools Coordinator Jenny Cassidy
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Board & Operational Committees
Finance and Governance Committee Umpiring Committee Ben Byrnes – Chair Trevor Murphy – Chair Anthony Bradstreet Kerry Franklin Ruth Caldwell Angela Broadbent Grant Rice Debbie Grove Sue Noble Leigh Evans Jason Carter Events Committee David Addlem Angela Broadbent – Chair Richard Barrow Kerry Franklin Richard Dodds Amanda Baker Grant Rice Awards and Recognition Committee Val Baxter Margo Koskelainen – Chair Ray Carter Angela Broadbent Elaine Duyvestyn Scoring Committee Helen Edwards Mary Walkinshaw – Chair Jenny Miles Lorraine Davies John Larter Ray Carter Josie Loton Kerryn Bell Alison Pendlebury Jim Giles
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 6 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Message from the President and CEO
The greatest asset of any organisation are its people. Whether it be a global bank with hundreds of thousands of employees or a local club with a committee of three; this quote remains consistent in its truth. Victorian softball is incredibly fortunate to have great people at every level of the sport, from staff within the Softball Victoria office to our Events, Umpiring and Scoring Committees, to our local clubs and associations – the passion and dedication to serving this sport is unparalleled. This can be evaluated in many ways; however, we like to view the health of a sport by the desire of community members to become involved, and stay involved. We have a highly skilled and dedicated Board that have a blend of softball knowledge and corporate and business skills, all of whom pour in hours of time to not only set; but guide the strategy by which we operate. In comparison to other sports in this State we are at the very top of the tree in regards to the strength of our Board. Our staffing structure has continued to evolve and we now have an outstanding combination of experience and skill from both within the Victorian softball family and from the broader sporting sector that provides perspective when managing the sport as a State body. This is mirrored by the strength in our volunteer workforce across our operational committees, associations and clubs that are managed incredibly well with passion and a desire to push the boundaries and grow the sport.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Every sport has a heavy reliance on volunteers and Victorian softball is no different, we are so fortunate to have the great people we have in roles of responsibility. It is a rare commodity and something we need to nurture and not take for granted.
2019/20 started off strongly with our oldest association, Melbourne Softball Association, applying and being accepted to reaffiliate with Softball Victoria. The history of this proud organisation is well known within the sport and it is a testament to the current committee that they were willing to work so closely with the CEO and the Softball Victoria Board to achieve an outcome that removed all politics and focused on only one thing – what was best for Victorian softball.
We entered in to a new and exciting partnership with La Trobe University that included the State office being moved to the Melbourne Campus in Bundoora, now housed in a state-of- the-art sporting complex along with Softball Australia. Whilst there have been many benefits to the sport initially, this partnership will provide a platform from which the sport will be able to benefit substantially in the future through access to facilities, function rooms, interns, student project work and sharing of strategic partnerships.
We invested heavily in participation, with Danielle Rigg and Tim Hatzi joining the team as Regional Development Coordinators, charged with providing support to all 14 of our Associations and 65 clubs to drive growth in membership and participation, whilst also addressing our retention churn.
We made some significant improvements to the participation space in Victoria, beginning with the development of a new pathway for young softballers to enter the sport via Softball Batter Up, and then progress step-by-step to junior fastpitch via the Fully Loaded T-Ball format. Supporting these changes was the adoption of the Fully Loaded format for all School Sport Victoria (SSV) competitions across the state, resulting in over 15,000 children being exposed to a new, exciting format of the sport which we expect will result in an increase in transitions from school programs to club competition.
We delivered eight Softball Batter Up pilots in 2019/20 with over 60 brand new junior participants registering across the State. Whilst these number may not seem high, it resulted in an increase of around 15% of our sub-junior members and we fully expect that these will continue to rise in 2020/21.
The format of our State Championships changed in 2019/20, with the U16 and U18 age- groups being played within the new zone format. All teams from the Northern Stars, Eastside Spectres, South East Stingers and Western Force were competitive, were managed and coached well and most importantly; enjoyed their time together in an improved, elite pathway environment.
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 8 SOFTBALL VICTORIA It is important to acknowledge the significant work completed by the Regional Managers of each of the zones to ensure the transition was a success.
We had ten representative teams selected for the 2019/20 National Championships from Open age down to Under 14’s, and once again we saw an outstanding level of passion and commitment from our Coaches, Team Managers, Statisticians and parents to provide a positive experience for our elite athletes.
Without doubt the highlight was Victoria’s first National title in some time, with the U14 Boys taking on all comers and playing some incredible, fast paced and ultimately successful softball. A credit to Head Coach Belinda Ainslie and her team.
Having recently completed a review of our strategic plan, Softball Victoria has been able to refresh our focus and ensure that the decisions we make are influencing the outcomes we need for the sport now and in the future.
Our challenges continue to centre around participation, with the decline in membership across the board still occurring year on year. This area of the sport has been addressed and we are in a very strong position to not only arrest the slide, but begin to grow our participation and membership numbers in the near future.
This will include continuing to invest in participation programs and the junior pathway including Softball Batter Up and Fully Loaded T-Ball, attacking school programs with a renewed vigour and looking to make our sport attractive to those children participating in the SSV system, and supporting our volunteers and affiliated associations to improve our retention of people in the sport.
On behalf of Softball Victoria, we would like to thank all our partners for their generous contribution to our sport, particularly our key partner the State Government of Victoria. We further extend our thanks to the network that brings softball to life across Victorian; our 19,000+ participants, state and federal governments, Softball Australia, the SV Board, staff, volunteers, coaches, officials, administrators and committee members. Together, we will continue to connect our communities to drive this sport in to the future.
Sincerely
Bron Madigan Nick Frayne President CEO Softball Victoria Softball Victoria
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 9 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 High Performance
Our Victorian teams represented the State incredibly well across all ten National Championships held in 2019/20, with our U14 Boys teams performing superbly to win Victoria’s first National Championship in some years. There were many notable performances including the U16 Boys who performed well in front of huge home crowds at Jells Park, unfortunately narrowly losing the Grand Final.
Championship Placing MVP Best Team Player U14 Girls 5th Rachel Miller Jorja Fernando U14 Boys 1st Troy Hotere-Moana Zach Dunkley U16 Girls 4th Kiara Rhind-Luke Hannah Scott U16 Boys 2nd Jye Robinson Luke Russell U18 Girls 6th Jamie-Lee Mathews Gemma Cornell U18 Boys 5th Sam Seach Miles Harding U23 Women 4th Tamar Hutchinson Emily Fry U23 Men 6th Hayden Gillett Alex Clayton Open Women 5th Bree Trim Jackie DiSiervi Open Men 4th Adam Talarico Joel Hughes
Leaders of Evolution (LE) and The Mind Room (MR) continued with our State Program with LE presenting to a group of coaches and MR working with Titans. The State Program welcomed ASADA this year who presented a session to U16, U18 and Open age teams. Softball Victoria Academy Our Academy program ran through the winter months again this year engaging 98 athletes plus officials involved over the course of the program. During this time athletes and coaches gained new levels of development and invaluable tournament experience. The program culminated in the Labour Day tournament in South Australia where 5 teams competed across the Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 age groups. A special thanks should go to Belinda Ainslie for coordinating the program along with all the coaches and Associations who supported the program so strongly.
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 10 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Adelaide Tournament Teams
Competition Team Placing U14 Mixed Thunder 3rd U14 Mixed Lightning 4th U16 Girls Sapphires 3rd U18 Boys Vipers 1st
U18 Girls Diamonds 2nd
Scoring report
The SC concentrated on three main goals for 2019/20. The first was to increase our overall accreditation base, the second to staff the statistician’s area of our first Nationals in 8 years entirely with locals and the third to update ‘our pages’ of the SV web site with relevant, up to date resources and information.
The June Masters tournament, the Werribee Memorial Shield and the Academy program presented opportunities for the committee to engage with scorers on a first hand basis. It is pleasing to report that this approach resulted in a record 78 accreditations being achieved. The breakdown of these accreditations included 45 level 1, 21 level 2 and 6 level 3. Congratulations to Carolyn Di Paola who upgraded to level 4 and with 5 other level 4 statisticians reaccrediting our goal for staffing the Nationals was well on the way to being achieved.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 11 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Additional criteria by Softball Australia to provide live scoring at Nationals required many more volunteer hours by the committee to ensure Victoria met this requirement. A series of 3 training nights were very well attended (34, 14 and 15) with 14 people gaining the SAL Basic iScore qualification at the end of the series.
Live practice for both paper and technology scoring was able to be undertaken during the Melbourne Winter competition, the Peta Edebone Cup and the Men’s State League where experienced level 4 statisticians were in attendance to offer their expertise with both paper and technology. Special thanks to Jim and Allison for the organisation of rosters for the PEC and MSL.
Thanks must also go to Allison and Kerryn who volunteered to become the Tournament Chief Statisticians at the Under 16 Boys & Girls Nationals conducted in January. It is pleasing to report that the hard work done prior to the tournament resulted in all 68 games being staffed with Victorian scorers. Thanks to Jill Williams (SA) who migrated back to Victoria for the duration of the tournament. Feedback at the celebratory lunch was that all 26 ‘scoring staff’ had had a positive experience during the week and were looking forward to future opportunities.
The committees third goal is being led by Jim utilizing the expertise of Angela Forgan. An audit of the current web pages shows that Victoria is well ahead of any other softball scoring web site in providing online information and resources - and we still have more to add!
Congratulations and thanks to all who took on U14 Boys – Emily Stambanis U18 Men – Kerryn Bell scoring duties for our State teams with special U18 Women – Lynne U14 Girls – Carolyn Di Paulo mentions to Emily and Zoe who represented Willmot the big V for the first time. Great to see some U16 Boys – Jacqui Glassey Open Men – Helen Edwards new blood as a result of our training programs!
U16 Girls – Zoe Carolyn Open Women – Sue Rigg OFFICIAL STATISITICIAN APPOINTMENTS: National Appointments other than those not already mentioned above included Mary Walkinshaw (Under 23 Men & Women and Friendship – Qld) and Chris Trengove (Open Women – WA).
Australian team appointments included Jim Giles to the U18 Men’s World Cup in NZ and Chris for the Open Women’s Olympic Qualifier in China. Congratulations to both on these appointments as well as their invitation to attend a WBSC Statisticians certification course in Sydney in Jan 2020.
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 12 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Umpiring report
The Committee has continued to quietly conduct business over last period servicing all requirements. The Peta Edebone Cup and Men’s State League, with over 300 umpire appointments for those two competitions, has offered a great opportunity for umpires to gain plenty of game time to improve their skills and knowledge. I encourage more umpires of Level 2 and above to share the workload and gain valuable experience when the games come to their region.
Much of an umpire’s training and development is gained on the diamond through practical experience. State Championships offer an opportunity for feedback from our assessment staff. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the U18 and Open Championships and Victorian Masters (due to COVID 19) affected the Committee’s ability to follow through with some planned training and assessments.
Training & Development Clinics My sincere thanks and congratulations to umpiring team at Waverley for the work they have done to help community umpires of the Association progress to Level 1. Keep up the good work. I look forward to those umpires seeking an opportunity to progress to Level 2 in the near future. Theory & Practical training courses were conducted at the 2019 Werribee Memorial Shield & 2020 Under 14 State Championships. Formal assessment for Level 2 was then conducted at the U16 Zone Championships. Congratulations to Anthony Bradstreet who achieved his Level 2 accreditation. Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 and cancellation of U18 and Open Championships, five other umpires missed the opportunity to be present as candidates to be assessed for progression to Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. Hopefully, these umpires will get their opportunity soon. While the COVID 19 restrictions have been disappointing, it has given us an opportunity to look at our processes. The Committee has decided to conduct online training sessions via Zoom on a fortnightly basis commencing August 2020. While learning about umpiring, the courses will also provide an opportunity for umpires and club coordinators to understand what on-line tools are available to conduct in-house training for their clubs and Associations. National & International Programs Victorian umpires fulfilled 25 of 95 appointments including eight management and assessing roles across the seven National Championships. Victorian umpires also played a big part in the inaugural Australia Pacific Games and the Summer Slam in Blacktown after the National Championships.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 13 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 The U14 National Championship is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring young umpires to get their initial exposure to the national scene, meet and work with umpires from other States and learn more about themselves while gaining experience to help them advance through the pathway. Kian Privitera and Tobias Sadler stepped forward again to attend these tournaments. A special mention goes to Jason Irvine who attended for the first time. Jason worked hard and was rewarded for his efforts by being well prepared to present as a candidate for progression to Level 3. Unfortunately, COVID 19 has caused a delay in the process. Along with the postponement of the Olympic Games has come the postponement of many other international competitions and the associated opportunities for umpires to represent internationally. These competitions have been rescheduled and I anticipate that our Victorian umpires qualified to represent internationally will be ready when the call arises.
Events Committee Report
Victorian Masters Championships The Victorian Masters Championships was once again hosted and supported by the City of Greater Shepparton. We saw 48 teams descend on Mooroopna over the Queen’s Birthday weekend 2019 competing in nine grades. The Women’s team entries totalled 36 which were divided into six grades. The Men’s teams were divided into two competitions, consisting of five teams in A Grade and eight teams in a combined B/C competition. While the task of grading can be a logistically challenging, teams were graded based upon previous results and overall, this created an even competition with most teams playing in their assigned grade competitively. Overall, the event was played in good spirits, the venue and weather was outstanding and most importantly the participants had a fun and engaging experience.
GOLD SILVER BRONZE A WOMEN Northwood Falcons Lilydale Ejays Amigos
B WOMEN Eastern Raiders Red Birralee GEMSA Corkers Red
C WOMEN Tassie Spirit Monash White Phoenix
D WOMEN Eastern Raiders Black GEMSA Gems Berwick Braves
E WOMEN MVP Falcons Casey 2 Cans Vicsens 45
F WOMEN Monash Magic Wolverines Lilydale Ejays 2
A MEN Ejays Melbourne Warriors Springvale Whitesox
B MEN Dodgers Geelong Cougars Sons of Sunbury
C MEN Pirates Casey 2 Cans Kotuku
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 14 SOFTBALL VICTORIA State Championships U14 State Championships * Hosted by Northern District * Six girls teams competing * Decline in team entries from last season, • Six boys teams competing higher percentage of combined teams
U16 Zone State Championships * Inaugural Zone State Championships * Tournament held over 2 Sundays * Hosted by Dandenong Softball * Thanks to the hard-working Regional Association Managers - Shane Goodall (ES), Michel * 4 zone teams - Eastside Spectres, O’Brien (NS), Jenny Joynson (SS), Belinda Northern Stars, South East Stingers, Ainslie (WF) Western Force Due to COVID-19 the U18 Zone State Championships and the Open State Championships were cancelled.
RESULTS
U14 GIRLS
WAVERLEY 10 DEF CASEY 0
U14 BOYS
SUNSHINE / WERRIBEE 11 DEF NORTHERN DISTRICT 1
U16 GIRLS
SOUTH EAST STINGERS 8 DEF EASTSIDE SPECTRES 4
U16 BOYS
WESTERN FORCE 8 DEF EASTSIDE SPECTRES 4
Peta Edebone Cup In 2019 the elite women’s competition title was changed to the Peta Edebone Cup. The four teams received new uniforms with two teams updating their team name resulting in Navy Ninjas, Black Storm, Purple Haze & Teal Tornadoes.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 15 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 The program was again aimed to provide a high level of play for our elite women. 2019 saw the program incorporate Fully Loaded format for two of the 8 rounds which provided a more intense, faster and exciting element to the competition.
The final day saw each team play three games of Fully Loaded and all four teams had the chance to make the Grand Final. The weather was not in our favor as the Grand Final started between reigning champions Navy Ninjas and Purple Haze with all spectators hoping that the rain would hold off. In the 3rd innings the rain became too heavy for the game to continue and Navy Ninjas who finished on top after the 8 rounds were awarded the inaugural Peta Edebone Cup trophy and back to back wins.
Individual Awards
MVP Pitching Award Batting Award
Jackie Di Siervi Moana Benjamin Amanda Torrington
All Star Team
P - Moana Benjamin C - Amanda Torrington 1st – Kylie Steemers
2nd – Marina Walker 3rd- Jackie Di Siervi SS – Isabel Zaharias
LF – Chloe Goodfellow CF – Bree Dawson RF – Katherine Laemmle
DP – Lauren Olsen Utility – Jess Chomley
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 16 SOFTBALL VICTORIA National Representatives
Victoria was again well represented in Australian 2020 squads and teams with 21 athletes and coach Mark Rigg selected.
Open Men’s Squad 2020 Adam Talarico
Junior Steelers World Championship Team 2020 Sam Seach
Junior Spirit World Championship Team 2020 Mark Rigg – Assistant Coach
International Friendship Series – U16 International Friendship Series – U16 Boys Squad 2020 Girls Squad 2020 Ryan Cockburn Karri Pritchard David Dunstan Holly Reynolds Jack Hotere-Moana Kiara Rhind-Luke Hunter Kelly Hannah Scott Cameron McCutcheon Kasey Smith Jye Robinson
Aussie Diamonds U14 Girls Squad 2020 Aussie Diamonds U14 Boys Squad 2020 Olivia Mairos Matthew Bedwell Rachel Miller Zach Dunkley Lani Rigg Nathan Duvall Tahuna Rhind-Luke Troy Hotere-Moana
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 17 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Awards
Life Membership Life Membership is awarded to outstanding individuals that have rendered exceptional service to Victorian softball at an administrative level over a period of more than 10 years.
Bryan Edwards – Life Member Bryan Edwards has been an active participant in the sport of softball within the state of Victoria for over 30 years. His commitment to the sport has seen him participate at all levels and his experience encompasses multiple skill sets, from playing, coaching, umpiring and serving on committees.
Bryan’s involvement in softball commenced when he began coaching his wife Helen’s team within the Sunshine Softball Association. Whilst his softball experience was limited, he came with a vast level of sporting experience, having been involved in both VFA football and cricket. Bryan and Helen moved to the newly formed Keilor Park Softball Association in the mid 1980’s where Bryan expanded his softball interests by serving on the Association Executive. As a committee member of Keilor Park, Bryan was instrumental in developing and growing the Association.
He actively contributed with a hands on attitude, from working on the grounds to participating in accreditation courses including coaching and umpiring to further the knowledge and experience of KPDSA. After John Larter retired as President, Bryan was nominated and elected President; a position he held for 20 years. In 1990 Bryan made his Victorian debut, playing for the Open Men’s team in Adelaide. Bryan played in his tenth consecutive Open Nationals with Victoria in 1999, winning the John Reid Shield. Having retired from Nationals as a player, Bryan was appointed head coach of the team and held this position for a further ten years winning four John Reid Shields, leading the team through the most successful period of the Victorian Open Men’s team in history.
Whilst success came for Bryan on the diamond, hard work was his forte behind the scenes as he continued his administrative contribution to the sport. In 2000, Bryan was elected President of Softball Victoria serving on the Board of Directors for eleven years in this position. In his role as President Bryan represented our State Body to numerous government departments, other agencies and community organisations. He also contributed to many Softball Victoria committees and working groups, notably the Victorian Championships, and Masters committees where his skills developing draws were well utilised. Bryan’s dedication to our state body was evident in his tireless contribution and his willingness to be hands on with his volunteer staff which enabled him to better understand the state member base.
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 18 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Bryan Edwards is an outstanding ambassador for Softball Victoria and his career has been distinguished on and off the diamond. His service to Softball Victoria has been exceptional in the area of administration where significant improvement to softball has been demonstrated.
Greg Brown – Life Member Greg Brown (“Brownie”) is a familiar friendly face at the Waverley Softball Association who has been around for more than 30 years. Greg is a Life Member of the Glen Waverley Softball Club and the Waverley Softball Association where he has coached various age Association representative teams since 1983 and served on several Executive Committees. Greg has coached more representative teams at Waverley than records provide, from U16, U19 and Open, he is also an active Coach and mentor with the Glen Waverley Softball Club. Greg is a proud Victorian representative. Commencing in 1987 as the Assistant Coach of the Victorian U16 Girls team, he has since represented Victoria at a further 18 National Championships. Greg’s involvement in these teams either as Assistant Coach, Head Coach or Specialist Coach has seen him devote hours of his time training and perfecting the art of Softball. Over the years Greg has become a passionate batting coach which led him to complete a University Degree in Biomechanics. There would be few players past and present who have not benefited from his knowledge and experience.
Greg’s contribution to Softball in Victoria over 2 generations in unparalleled. His methodical approach to batting and experience provides all who work with him access to his immense knowledge.
Greg’s continued involvement in Softball Victoria at the elite level is inspiring to all Coaches.
U16 Girls Assistant Coach 1987, 1988, 1989, 1999
U16 Girls Specialist Coach 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
U19 Women Assistant Coach 2001, 2002
U19 Women Specialist Coach 2000, 2018, 2019
Open Women Coach 2004
Open Women Assistant Coach 1992, 1993, 2003, 2012
Merle Short Award 1997
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 19 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Awards
Hall of Fame The Softball Victoria Hall of Fame is awarded to individuals in recognition of outstanding achievement in softball.
Jean Wynn Jean Wynn was a member of the Springvale Softball Club from the Dandenong Softball Association. Softball was a family affair for the Wynn’s with Jean’s husband Doug a respected coach. Whilst Doug’s passion was coaching, Jean’s passion was scoring and she regularly scored for her Springvale teams and performed statistician duties for Dandenong over an extended period of time scoring for Dandenong representative teams. In 1979, Jean was appointed as statistician for the Victorian Open Women’s team, a position she held for nine years. In 1988, Jean then applied for the position of statistician of the Victorian Open Men’s team. Jean scored for the Open Men for ten years which is the second longest tenure for this team. Jean was also appointed statistician of the U16 Boys in 1991, 1992 and 1993 with husband Doug as head coach.
In 1982, Jean toured New Zealand with Australian Open Women’s team attending the Pan Am Classic. She went on to perform Statistician duties for the Australian U19 Women’s team that toured China in 1984 and the U19 Australian Women’s Olympic Youth Team in 1985.
Jean’s commitment to the Victorian State teams has been more than demonstrated with 18 appointments over a 15 year career. She was also heavily involved in the scoring program within the state, serving as mentor to new statisticians. Jean Wynn is a worthy recipient of the Softball Victoria Hall of Fame.
Jenny Holliday AM Jenny Holliday played within the Waverley Softball Association for the Glen Waverley Angels before coming to the attention of Victorian selectors in 1980. She was selected in the Under 16 Girls team who competed for the Esther Deason Shield in Adelaide. After playing two more years in junior Victorian representative teams, Jenny made her senior debut for the state in 1985 as part of
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 20 SOFTBALL VICTORIA the successful Victorian team who won the Gilley’s Shield. In total, Jenny represented her home state of Victoria on 16 occasions at the Australian National Championships spending a great deal of time in the pitching circle. 1996 saw her dominant on the mound winning the Lorraine Woolley Medal in (Gilley’s Shield Pitching Award). Jenny represented Australia in an international career that spanned over 12 years between 1985 and 1997. She played 104 games for Australia which included three World Softball Championships (1986, 1990, and 1994) and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where she and the team won a bronze medal. Her skill as a high velocity pitcher saw her inclusion in three World All Star Teams and holds the world record for the fastest recorded pitch at an Olympic games (118kph) as well as five National Fastpitch Softball League Best Pitcher Awards. For her contribution to the game as a player, Jenny was inducted in the International and Australian Softball Halls of Fame in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Many young pitchers benefited from Jenny’s coaching as did the softballers at Caulfield Grammar School where she was the Head of Girls Sport and responsible for running the program for 23 Softball Teams. For her service to sport in the APS, Jenny was only the second female to be awarded the outstanding service to sport in the Association of Public Schools. Post playing career Jenny has continued to support the Australian softball community by serving on the Softball Australia Board of Directors from 2005 through to 2010, and served as the Chair Person of this board from 2008 to 2010. After stepping down from the Softball Australia Board of Directors, Jenny was nominated as President of Softball Victoria in 2011 and served until 2017. Her role as President of Softball Victoria included active involvement with numerous committees covering all areas of the sport of softball from playing, umpiring, scoring, volunteering and organizing tournaments.
Kerrie Maddern Kerrie Maddern first began her softball with Springvale Softball Club in the Dandenong Softball Association. Through her dedicated efforts at the Club and Association level across a range of on and off-field endeavours including umpiring, playing, coaching, administration and on the Executive Committee, she was made a Life Member at both Springvale Softball Club and Dandenong Softball Association. After returning from overseas from being involved with the famous Canadian team, Alpha Sports, Kerrie joined the Glen Waverley Softball Club of which she was a member for over 30 years before being inducted as a Life Member.
Whilst Kerrie has been active in all areas of the game, scoring became her passion and she has been a regular Victorian representative being appointed as statistician to 14 Victorian
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 21 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 teams over a 30 year period, which in itself is an impressive list of achievements. Her involvement with Softball Victoria commenced in 1980 in her role as Manager of the Open Women’s team then as a State Statistician and Board Member. Kerrie’s diversity of contribution is evident across the range of roles she has undertaken over more than 25 years of involvement with Softball Victoria. Her outstanding contribution in such a range of roles is testament to her enthusiasm for the game and her commitment to supporting all who are associated with Softball regardless of their area of endeavour.
Kerrie’s contribution to Scoring at National level was recognised in 2004 when she was inducted into the SAL Hall of Fame.
Kerrie was integral in the establishment of the Victorian Scoring Committee. Her involvement spanned 10 years over which time she was the Director of Scoring for five of those years. As such, she played the role of mentor and teacher to many of Victoria’s statisticians. Her significant involvement in driving this Committee resulted in training up outstanding Victorian statisticians; many of whom have gone on to be some of Australia’s finest in Australia’s best scoring pathway. Many have Kerrie to thank for their success and love of scoring.
Kris Kiefel Kris has had a long and outstanding career, representing Victoria over 20 years and Australia for nearly the same period. During this time he has accumulated numerous pitching awards, MVP awards and has influenced the game of softball in a way that very few could. Through his actions he lifted softball in Australia and defined what it was to be an elite softball athlete in Australia.
Kris started his career at the Werribee Softball Association for the Glen Devon Softball Club at the age of 8. As a young softballer Kris came to the attention of State selectors in 1991 being selected in the U16 Boys Victorian team to compete in the inaugural Arthur Allsopp Shield at Homebush in Sydney. In 1995 Kris made his debut in the Victorian Open Men’s team playing in the John Reid Shield in Adelaide in a senior career spanning 15 years.
At state level Kris’ leadership helped shape the Victorian team into one that was dominant and feared in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Through this period the Victorian Open Men’s team played in many consecutive finals, winning the John Reid Shield four times as National Champions. Kris was very instrumental in all of these wins, he stood up many, many times for Victoria and could be relied on to perform when the going got tough. Kris oozed confidence when he strode to the pitcher’s mound or batter’s box and no matter what position the
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 22 SOFTBALL VICTORIA team was in, he would do his utmost to drag his teammates along with him. In key games he regularly pitched an almost perfect game and hit the winning home run. Kris was one of the pioneers for softball in this country and opened many doors for future men’s players on the international scene. He was one of the first players to travel overseas and play at the highest level in America, Canada and later in Japan. Kris’s success opened the door for many of his male counterparts to follow in his footsteps as he gained respect for players coming out of Australia. As he built his experience both nationally and internationally he has ensured that he brought this knowledge back to Australia and shared it across the country through his coaching and mentoring of younger athletes. This vital role of coaching and mentoring continues to this day through his involvement in club softball and the Victorian Men’s State League competition, in which he plays an integral role. The Victoria Men’s State League competition includes State Players from across the Open, U19, and U17 age groups and Kris can always be seen talking with these younger players, regardless of which team they play for, offering them tips, suggestions, and feedback on their game. Kris Kiefel is one the most significant players in the history of Victorian Softball. His influence on the game reaches far beyond his personal achievements. He was one of the best all round players, it was his ability to hit and pitch at an elite level that changed the thinking of coaches and paved the way for hitting pitchers all over the world. He will be remembered as the guy who dominated on the mound and was the ultimate competitor and the success he achieved was well earned.
Margo Koskelainen When it comes to umpires within the history of Softball Victoria, Margo Koskelainen’s achievements stands without equal. Her list of individual accomplishments span five decades from her humble beginnings as an umpire at the Shepparton Softball Association to the role of Deputy Umpire In Chief at both the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Olympic games. Margo began umpiring in 1971 at Shepparton. She would regularly travel to Melbourne to participate in training under the watchful eye of Victoria’s then Chief Umpire Marj Dwyer. In 1975 Margo achieved her All Australian badge and then went on to receive ISF accreditation in 1979. During her career, Margo attended 51 Australian National Tournaments as an umpire, TCU and Examiner. Highly respected for her experience within the Umpiring Program, Margo performed the role of Tournament Chief Umpire at 37 Australian National Tournaments. Margo served as Deputy National Umpire Chief from 1981 until 1985 when she was appointed National Chief Umpire of Australia. Within her work in this role overseeing the National Umpiring Program, Margo was instrumental in setting the direction of umpiring within the country.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 23 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Such is Margo’s standing within the International Umpiring Community she attended the 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 International Softball Federation Commission and presented to the ISF Congress with particular focus on Females in Sport. In 2001 Margo presented “Female Umpires – A Blueprint for Success” Paper at the International “Blue” Convention in New Brunswick, CAN.
Margo’s lists of awards and recognition are extensive. She was awarded the Vivienne Triplett National Umpire of the year award in 1995 and 2000. Inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in 2004 and into the ISF Hall of Fame in 2003. She was presented Softball Australia Life Membership in 1993 and Softball Victoria Life Membership in 1996. In 1995 Margo received the Official of the Year award from the Australian Sports Commission’s National Officiating Program. The Australian Sports Medal was awarded to Margo in 2000 and she was named by the Victorian Government in the Victorian Honour Roll of Women highlighting her contribution to our sport.
With such an illustrious career and outstanding contribution to Softball Victoria, there should be little doubt that Margo Koskelainen has the credentials to be inducted into the Softball Victoria Hall of Fame.
Nicole Richardson Nicole Richardson was first introduced to softball by her teachers at Northvale Primary School at 7 years of age. From there she joined the Glen Waverley Softball Club playing at the Waverley Softball Association. Debuting in the U14 team, Nicole quickly established herself as a strong player for the club, breaking into the A Grade team at a young age. In 1984 Nicole was selected in the Victorian under 16 team playing in the Esther Deason Shield in Darwin. She first gained selection in the Victoria Open Women’s team in 1988 at the age of 17 and went on to represent Victoria in eleven Gilley’s Shield Tournaments. A talented outfielder and strong hitter, Nicole won the Midge Nelson Medal in 1991 as Tournament MVP.
Nicole continued to play with Glen Waverley and was a member of their Angels team competing in the National Club Championship. A dominant batting performance saw Nicole win the National Club Championship best batter award in 1991.
Nicole made her debut with the Aussie Spirit in 1992 at the Beijing Cup and played 123 games in the green and gold in a career that spanned 17 years. Nicole retired from international softball in 1998 to pursue her love of netball. As a dual international multicode athlete,
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 24 SOFTBALL VICTORIA Nicole is one of the few who have won medals in two separate sports, winning an Olympic bronze medal with the Aussie Spirit in 1996 and a Commonwealth Games gold medal with the Aussie Diamonds in Manchester in 2002 when they defeated New Zealand 57 – 55.
Fiercely competitive and a natural athlete, Nicole was someone who loved being in the game. She had an amazing work ethic and dedication which enabled her to rise to the top of two sports on the international stage. Nicole Richardson is a role model who has conducted herself with integrity both on and off the softball diamond with a distinguished resume she’s a worthy inductee of Softball Victoria’s Hall of Fame.
Paul Maisey Paul Maisey has been a significant player for the state representing Victoria a total of 18 times throughout his junior and senior career. He was instrumental in the development of the team that won four John Reid Shields leading by example with his professionalism both on and off the diamond. Known for his batting prowess, Paul won the Open Men’s Nationals Batting Award in 1997 and 2000. Paul’s passion and commitment to the game of softball could not be questioned and he has always represented Victoria with the highest integrity. Paul was the first Victorian male player to be inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame, he debuted with the Aussie Steelers in New Zealand in 1995. Throughout his career, he played in three World Championships in 1996, 2000, 2004 and played a total of 23 tournaments for Australia. The highlight of Paul’s playing career is a bronze medal at the 2004 World Championships.
Paul retired from international softball after the 2006 Commonwealth Men’s Championships in Melbourne. At that time, he had accumulated 136 games for Australia – second only to then Aussie Steeler’s captain, Mike Harrow.
Following his retirement from the international scene, Paul continued to play at state level, representing Victoria until 2008. Paul currently continues his softball career within Victoria playing in the Men’s State League competition for Metrans as a founding member of the club. He is a noted mentor amongst the up and coming state representatives and can be seen regularly on the diamond passing on knowledge to the younger generations. In 2011 Paul was inducted into the World Baseball and Softball Confederation Hall of Fame, recognising Paul’s outstanding achievements within the sport, the first Victorian male to receive this honour.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 25 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Awards
Merle Short Service Awards The Merle Short Service Award honours members for their valuable contribution to Softball by being recognised with the award for exceptional service to Softball. This year’s recipients were:
Andrea Wanke Dandenong Softball Association
Lawrie Hand Knox & District Softball Association
Mark Rigg Knox & District Softball Association
Maureen Young Knox & District Softball Association
Lee Marsh Dandenong Softball Association
Neil Duyvestyn Melbourne Softball Association
Kylie James Werribee Softball Association
Umpire and Scorer Awards
Margo Koskelainen Umpire of the Year Award The award is named in honour of Margo Koskelainen for her contribution to the Victorian and Australian Umpiring program over many years. Margo’s illustirous career and achievements within the umpiring community are indicative of the qualities required of the recipients of this award.
Angela Broadbent – Werribee Softball Association Marjorie N Dwyer Memorial Scholarship The Marjorie Dwyer Memorial Scholarship was established to provide financial assistance for the education, training and advancement of Softball Umpires.
Jason Irvine – Waverley Softball Association
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 26 SOFTBALL VICTORIA John Larter Umpire Development Award This award recognises an up and coming umpire that has shown promise and ability within the umpiring community.
Lucas Tucker – Waverley Softball Association Lorraine Davies Statistician of the Year The Lorraine Davies Statistician of the Year award recognises a statistician for their high level of skill and contribution to scoring in Victoria and nationally.
Lynne Wilmott – Geelong Softball Association Mary Walkinshaw Scoring Award The Mary Walkinshaw Scoring Award recognises a newly accredited scorer for their contribution to scoring in Victoria at a local and state level.
Emily Stambanis – Northern Districts Softball Association
Community Awards
Club of the Year Association of the Year Community Coach of the Year Hawks Fastpitch Softball Club Geelong Softball Association Shane Goodall
Emerging Junior Athlete (Male) Emerging Junior Athlete (Female) Jye Robinson Rachel Miller
SOFTBALL VICTORIA 27 ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Financial Statements
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SOFTBALL VICTORIA INCORPORATED ABN: 22 747 699 848 We have audited the accompanying financial report, being a special purpose financial report, of Softball Victoria Incorporated (the association), which comprises the assets & liabilities statement and movements in equity statement as at 30 April 2020, and the income and expenditure statement and cash flow statement, a summary of significant accounting policies, other explanatory notes and the statement by members of the Board.
Board’s Responsibility for the Financial Report
The Board of Softball Victoria Incorporated is responsible for the preparation of the financial report and has determined that the basis of preparation described in Note 1 is appropriate to meet the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 and is appropriate to meet the needs of the members. The Board’s responsibility also includes such internal control as the Board determines is necessary to enable the preparation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Auditors' Responsibility Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We have conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those Standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditors' judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditors consider internal control relevant to the association’s preparation of the financial report in order that gives a true and fair view, in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the association's internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the Board, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
Qualification
As is common for organizations of this type, it is not practicable for the Association to maintain an effective system of internal control over income producing activities until their initial entry in the accounting records. Accordingly, our audit in relation to receipts was limited to amounts recorded.
Qualified Auditors' Opinion
In our opinion, subject to the effects of such adjustments, if any, as might have been determined to be necessary had the limitation discussed in the qualification paragraph not existed, the financial report of Softball Victoria Incorporated ABN 22 747 699 848 presents fairly, in all material respects the financial position of Softball Victoria Incorporated ABN 22 747 699 848 as at 30 April 2020 and of its financial performance for the year then ended in accordance with the accounting policies described in the Notes to the Financial Statements.
Basis of Accounting and Restriction on Distribution
ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 28 SOFTBALL VICTORIA
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SOFTBALL VICTORIA INCORPORATED ABN: 22 747 699 848 Without modifying our opinion, we draw attention to the Notes to the Financial Statements, which describes the basis of accounting. The financial report has been prepared to assist Softball Victoria Incorporated to meet the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.
Name of Firm: Selby Westhorpe & Partners Pty Ltd Certified Practising Accountants
Name of Partner: ______Michelle T Westhorpe
Address: Suite 1, 1012 Doncaster Road, East Doncaster, Vic, 3109
Dated 7th day of August 2020
Softball Victoria (03) 9957 7965 [email protected] PO Box 107 La Trobe University La Trobe University Melbourne vic.softball.org.au 3086 Campus Sport Stadium, Sports Drive Bundoora VIC 3086