diversity | community | fun | excellence | engagement | teamwork ANNUAL REPORT 2010 2 photos are courtesy of Greg Heron PURPOSE Softball Australia’s purpose is to: be the dynamic and innovative leader of softball in Australia engage, support and inform all softball stakeholders raise the profile and standing of and participation in softball support and deliver quality competitive and recreational softball opportunities locally, nationally and internationally VISION We will be the world’s number one softball nation, providing exciting competitive and recreational opportunities to a rapidly expanding and diverse membership and to communities across Australia Softball Australia | 21 Burwood Road Hawthorn | Victoria 3122 ACN 092 181 318 | 03 9818 6144 | www.softball.org.au Softball Australia Annual Report 2010 | Contents Contents Highlights 1 Chairman's Report 2 CEO's Report 5 Message from the Australian Sports Commission 8 Looking to the future 9 Softball Australia's Strategic Plan 10 CRM Project 12 Organisational structure 14 Softball Australia Directors 14 Management team 14 Our committees 15 Our members 16 Membership review 17 Membership recognition 18 Retirements 20 High performance 21 Community participation 26 Understanding our market 26 Technical 30 Scoring 32 Umpiring 34 Teams 37 International results 41 National event results 45 Australian Championship results 47 Partners and sponsors 50 www.softball.org.au P a g e | i Softball Australia Annual Report 2010 | Highlights Highlights World champions On 27 July 2009, the Aussie Steelers Australian Open Men's team, celebrated an historic win at the ISF XII Open Men's World Championship, defeating the New Zealand Black Sox 5-0 in the final. The win ended the domination of New Zealand, which had won the previous three World Championships. Australian champions On 21 February 2010 at Hawker (ACT), Western Australia achieved an historic double, winning both the Gilley's Shield and John Reid Shield. New South Wales dominated the under-age Australian Championships, winning the U19 Men's and Women's and U16 Boys' and Girls' titles. Membership review Softball Australia and our eight Member States embarked on a review of our membership structure and strategy. The purpose of the review is to develop and implement a new market driven membership model. New website The new Softball website was released to our 490 Member States, associations and clubs on 31 May 2010. Program reviews Major reviews were undertaken of our high performance and participation programs to align them with our Strategic Plan and ASC's funding priorities. Crawford Report The Softball community welcomed the long awaited release of the Crawford Report in October 2009, followed by the Government's response in March 2010. Achievements Sally McCreedy, Peter Clout and John McAuliffe were inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame. Ken Culpitt and the Aussie Steelers were inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame. Umpire Leigh Evans (Vic) was selected to represent Australia at the 2009 ISF XII Open Men's World Championship in Canada. He was also awarded the plate umpiring duties for the final play-off between Canada and the USA and 1st base umpiring duties in the Preliminary Final. Umpires Darren Sibraa (Qld) and Scott Rindfleish (NSW) were selected to represent Australia at the 2010 ISF XII Open Women's World Championship in Venezuela. Cheryl Dawes (Qld) was appointed as the Aussie Spirit statistician. Retirements Aussie Steelers Mike Harrow, Jeff Goolagong and Terry Downes joined Aussie Spirit players Natalie Titcume and Melanie Roche in announcing their retirements from international competition. Darryl Clout and Jenny Cassidy retired from the Softball Australia Board after many years' service. Vale Australian Softball lost two of its greats – Pat Rawlings OAM and Vivienne Triplett. Our bottom line Softball Australia achieved a healthy surplus of $32,345 – a great result considering the ISF XII Open Women's World Championship was brought forward into this financial year and was unbudgeted. www.softball.org.au P a g e | 1 Softball Australia Annual Report 2010 | Chairman's Report Chairman's Report On behalf of the Directors of Softball Australia, I advantage in today's crowded sport and am delighted to be presenting the second annual entertainment landscape. We need to continue report of Softball Australia Limited. to review our competition models to ensure we tap into the opportunities this advantage Last year was a watershed for our sport and this presents. year we laid the groundwork for the future growth and success of Softball in Australia. Events Kicking off the year in grand style, the Aussie Softball ACT hosted a fastpitch extravaganza with Steelers presented the country with its first ISF the combined John Reid Shield and the Gilley's Open World Championship since 1965. No doubt Shield Finals in February. With World Champions the dominant performance of the team has left and Olympic medallists on show and team other countries pondering just what can be done selections on the line, both titles were hotly to change the new world order in men's Softball, contested. Western Australia rose to the not just for the 2013 World Championship but challenge and took out an historic double. With beyond. Congratulations to Bob Harrow, his staff both Shields heading west, it will be an exciting and the athletes who, as a team, were Championship season in 2011. subsequently inducted into the Softball Australia Hall of Fame. The under-age Australian Championships saw the emergence of new talent to fill the shoes of Volunteers retiring Aussie Steelers and Aussie Spirit players. Volunteers have played a key role in our Thirteen debutants headed to the ISF XII Women's achievements over the last 12 months. Thank you World Championship in Venezuela, where the to all who have contributed to our many young team showed a depth of talent that programs and activities throughout the year. augers well for the next decade. Losing to Canada, the eventual bronze medallists, in the The implementation of the Softball CRM project bottom of the 7th innings relegated the team to 6th would not be possible without our volunteers who position. The move to a two year World contribute long hours and late nights to this huge Championship cycle means there is a good deal task. We have made it through phase one and of work to do prior to Whitehorse, Canada in 2012. look forward to your ongoing support as we role out the next phase of work. The project is the Strategic Plan largest our sport has undertaken in many years and will bring enormous dividends to Softball in Following the release of the Crawford Report, the the short and long term. Government's response in March, Australian Sport; the Pathway to Success, heralded a much Volunteers were also instrumental in the delivery needed boost in funding to sport. For Softball it of the many large tournaments played around was pleasing to see that our Strategic Plan was the country this year. The largest of these events clearly aligned with key initiatives in the Pathway was the World Masters Games, which hosted to Success. Moving forward, we will focus on 196 teams across four venues in Sydney! Softball's increasing the number of Australian's playing ability to host such festivals is a competitive Softball, strengthening development pathways, www.softball.org.au P a g e | 2 Softball Australia Annual Report 2010 | Chairman's Report putting our sport on the education agenda, Loss of legends making Softball a more inclusive game, improving the experience for our volunteers and reviewing Our Softball community mourned the loss of two our high performance, coaching and officiating legends of our game – Pat Rawlings and Vivienne strategies. Triplett. Regardless of the outcome of future funding From 1980-1986, Pat Rawlings held the position of decisions, Softball remains prepared to act on the Australian Women's Team Manager. She was core components of our Strategic Plan, which involved in the constitutional reform which led to were developed with our members and a range the first ASF Board being established in 1984 and of other Softball stakeholders. Delivering this Plan the same year worked with NSW and WA to will take a concerted effort by all – from the organise the inaugural Open Men's National Softball Australia Directors through to our Championship (the John Reid Shield). In 1991, Pat volunteers in clubs across the nation. was inducted into the ASF Hall of Fame in and was awarded the Order of Australia. She became Softball has demonstrated its willingness to make an ASF Life Member in 1994 and was awarded an changes to improve our sport. We are on track to Australian Sports Medal in 2000. deliver on the recommendations from the Too Few Too Much report. Key projects to be tackled Vivienne Triplett was recognised on many levels over the next 12 months include the second for her contribution to Softball in general and phase of the CRM Project and modernising our umpiring in particular. She was inducted into the membership structure to suit current and ISF, Softball Australia and Softball Victoria Halls of prospective customers as well as evolving social Fame, and was a Life Member of Softball Victoria. trends. In 1995, the Vivienne Triplett Award for Excellence in Umpiring was introduced by Softball Australia in We have already made a start on our recognition of Vivienne's outstanding contribution membership restructure, with a forum in May that to umpiring. In 2000, she was also honoured with emphasised the importance of working with the the Australian Sports Medal. education sector to improve our success in transitioning young people from school to clubs. The contribution of both these women is admired Our plans will focus on identifying membership and recognised by all.