ANNUAL Report - Softball Victoria

ANNUAL Report
2015
Softball Victoria Vision
To be a thriving, innovative and inclusive sport with at least 5% annual growth
PO Box 2018, Fitzroy VIC 3065
T 03 9415 1745
E [email protected]
www.victoria.softball.org.au
Softball Victoria ABN 22 747 699 848
Contents
Board Report
2
Executive Officer Report
4
Life Members & Hall of Fame Inductees
7
Board & Staff Members
8
Award Recipients
9
Financial Statements
10
Our Members
15
Past Presidents & Secretaries
31
Partners & Sponsors
32
Board Report
The mindset and qualities of champions are ageless and
the friends you make in sport are forever. A very
crowded Softball pavilion experienced both the fun and
hardnosed approach of a group of Victorian legends who
were recently brought together to address the athletes
in the newly formed Winter Softball League which
provided skill development and game opportunities for
around 72 aspiring Aussie Spirit players.
The panel included seven of our finest Victorian women’s
players who between them held 16 Open Women’s
Australian titles and one World Championship title.
Among them was Midge Nelson. Midge not only played
for Australia, coached Victoria and was SV President but
was an Australian representative in Hockey and
Basketball as well and is a member of the Sport Australia
Hall of Fame, ISF, SAL and SV Halls of Fame. Not a bad
mentor for these young athletes!
Of late, some energetic softball lovers have created a
resurgence of interest in our rich and successful past.
Many people talk about social media as a tool to
communicate what is going on in sport generally
however the pleasing aspect of the activity that is
currently occurring is as an avenue for those no longer
involved to re-engage on a range of levels. This is a
terrific opportunity for us and it requires consistently
applied energy and resourcing. We are on the lookout
for more people willing to support this important mode
of communicating with our past, current and future
participants to help us grow and plan for the future.
With regard to planning, it’s interesting how many
people in the not for profit sector see a strategic plan and
even a budget as something you need to do to ensure
you receive funding. As discussed with Members mid2014, the Victorian plan for Softball would be developed
off the back of the whole of Softball plan developed by
the Member states and Softball Australia. This plan was
finalised and we have been using the plan to focus the
minds of the Board and staff on what it is that is
important. With the new pillars of the plan being
Growing Participation, Developing Clubs and
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Associations and Organisational Sustainability, the
majority of our focus has been on supporting our
members where the real action happens.
These strategic themes are strongly linked to the focus of
Softball in Victoria over the past three years which has
again seen membership growth. Our commitment from
last year to build an understanding of what is happening
at club level and a push to have our clubs and
associations
complete
the
Australian
Sports
Commission’s (ASC) Club Health Check has seen a move
from five complete surveys to 27 in Victoria. Nine of
these clubs have reported that they have commenced
actioning the findings from the survey.
To support the success of the strategic focus on clubs and
associations, in conjunction with Softball Australia, Sport
and Recreation Victoria and five Member Associations
who invested in the program, in January we employed
Kerrie Laverick as our Association Development
Coordinator. Associations have identified their areas of
greatest need and set plans on how to achieve the goals
for these areas.
The Board decided to put in place a newly appointed
Governance Committee as a subcommittee of the Board.
A key driver for this was to improve of a number of
deliverables for our members: expedite our member
protection process; provide assistance to members who
need mediation and support our member’s
understanding of governance. This committee will be
working with members over the next two years to refine
our systems which will help to underpin growth in our
sport.
With our quest to bring more participants to the game of
Softball, if we exceed our goal and grew the player
numbers by 5% next year, this equates to around 120
more people playing across Victoria. This then means we
need at least 20 extra coaches, 10 scorers, an increase in
umpires and more volunteers to manage this growth.
Do you have those volunteers ready to go for next season
to sustain our efforts to grow the player group? This year
42 people attended coaching courses, 72 participated in
statistician courses and the umpires were also successful
Page |2
in recruiting. While many of these people are already
participating, it is terrific to see the investment in
education in our sport, which will soon mean a greater
capacity to support our recruitment efforts.
Softball has responded to requests to give better access
to advanced coaching and skill development for all
members by reinvigorating our pathways for athletes
and coaches. From the recommendations of the expert
VicSport investigation into our pathways, a region based
development program was put in place. One of the goals
was to reduce the effort required by parents and coaches
alike by giving access to the program in a localised
setting.
have some fantastic people who are equal to the
challenge and looking to lead the way.
Our high achievers this year are recognised throughout
our review of the year. Deserving special mention are: Di
Waller who was inducted into the Softball Australia Hall
of Fame, and Debbie Grove who received Life
Membership of Softball Victoria. Our congratulations
also go to Chris Trengrove and Jim Giles who continue
Victoria’s proud history of statisticians representing our
country with Chris travelling with the Aussie Spirit and
Jim with the Aussie Colts.
Over the past two years, Australian not for profit
organisations generally have experienced a shift from
traditional funding models to a requirement to diversify
funding streams in order to achieve a greater level of
sustainability. This is likely to impact Softball greatly in
our current planning cycle – up until 2018. For families,
who are also experiencing financial difficulties, this
means accessing sport close to home and achieving great
value out of any of their discretionary spending – this
means their investment in their child’s recreation.
Our thanks go to our Executive Officer, Jo Phillips and her
small staff of Donna Carbis and Kerrie Laverick who every
day, are prioritizing their workload to best service the
majority of our members to achieve our strategic goals.
This is not an easy task with many people wanting a bite
of their time. Lending from an Ian Goldin quote;
statewide actions require association and club
participation. National and state cooperation and action
requires community perspectives and legitimacy if it is to
be effective. We ask our members to continue to be part
of a positive solution in their input into our activities in
order for our sport to thrive.
Again, we are calling on our members to consider if we
are providing the best experience possible in the most
accessible format we can, with the resources we have?
Are we asking our juniors what they like and don’t like
about their experience? What of the social players?
We thank the lifeblood of our sport – the coaches,
umpires, scorers, managers, committees and the SV
Board for their continued energy and drive to achieve an
improved life for our members through our sport.
Onward and Upward to next season.
To support local efforts, Softball Victoria restructured
our committees to be operational committees rather
than Board committees. This removes what our
committee members told us was a barrier to their
effectiveness and empowers them and staff to make
decisions to support associations as our participants and
their needs change.
Jenny Holliday
President
On behalf of the Softball Victoria Board
We would like to thank all of those people who have put
their hands up to support these changes through
participation in the committees. Developing new ideas
to suit a complex sporting market is not easy however we
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Page |3
Executive Officer Report
2014-2015 has seen Softball Victoria focus on the
future, as we entered into a new strategic planning
period. The delivery of a new plan for 2014-2018
was largely driven by the development of a national
whole of softball plan. With the collective efforts of
the State and National bodies, the future of the
sport is looking brighter than ever.
The start of new plan always reminds us to check
that if we want to achieve different outcomes, we
need to consider approaching tasks differently. If
we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always
get what we’ve always got. In partnership with our
Associations, we refined the national direction to
meet the ever changing needs of our local
community, and ensure a clear path for the future.
the sport and each other created an opportunity for
a female umpire program, bringing an incredibly
talented group of women from Softball and AFL
together to share experiences.
The Victorians More Active funding continued to
support a number of strategic priorities for Softball
Victoria. Getting more people, more active in
Softball, more often is a mantra resonates within
our community. Across all of our technical
disciplines and with local Associations, we have
seen an increase in participation levels.
Membership
Total registered members for 2014/2015:
VicHealth
In the final year of the Everyone Wins program we
focussed primarily on assisting Associations to
create safe, inclusive and welcoming environments
for our members. With the introduction of Kerrie
Laverick as Association Coordinator, work went into
testing positive club behaviour programs and
exploring relationships with culturally and
linguistically diverse groups. The learnings from this
year will assist other Associations to implement
programs that support safe, welcoming and
inclusive environments. With those programs in
place, we are well positioned to support an
increasingly diverse softball community.
Sport and Recreation Victoria
The Women In Sport and Recreation project
received a boost in funding late in 2014, and
allowed us to expand our work with female officials.
Ensuring appropriate support structures are in place
at an Association level to encourage women into
leadership roles has been a focus of Kerrie’s
governance work with our partner Associations.
Exploring the way our female officials connect to
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Senior
Junior
1265
902
Tee Ball
Masters
Off Diamond
Official
TOTAL
180
108
23
139
2,619
Development
The 2014 Development Program saw 165 players
register for the under-age development and State
Team trials. The Development teams once again
headed to Adelaide for the Labour Day tournament,
and back to West Beach for the Under 15 Regional
Championships, where our girls even made an
appearance on national television. With the
introduction of a Chief Selector to the 2014
selection process, we undertook a systematic
review of the development and state team
pathways in preparation for 2015.
Under 12 Spectacular
Fourteen teams from clubs and Associations came
together for the Under 12 Spectacular held in
conjunction with the U19 Championships at
Werribee. We had fantastic support from our Under
23 State Women’s team athletes who came along to
assist with the teams. Congratulations to all teams
Page |4
involved. It was fantastic to see so many happy faces
in the one location.
Championships
Thank you to all of our Host Associations for their
hard work in preparing diamonds and running
canteens during the Championship season. The
highlight of the season was watching the crowds of
young softballers watch the annual Zieran Cup
game, played as a curtain-raiser for the Under 15
Championship Grand Final.
AGE
Under 15
GRADE
Cup
Plate
Under 17
Cup
Plate
Under 19
Open
A-Grade
Premier
Pennant B
Pennant C
MALE
Albury
Wodonga
Waverley
Casey
Albury
Wodonga
Casey
Keilor Park
FEMALE
Waverley
Albury
Wodonga
Waverley
Dandenong
Waverley
Waverley
Casey
Frankston
Masters
Hebditch in our State Program for 2014-2015. As we
look to improve our rankings at Nationals, we must
ensure our coaches have the right support
structures in place to develop their skills and finetune their athletes for success.
Scoring
Our statisticians undertook their own major
planning this year, feeding a number of initiatives
into the new strategic plan, and shaping the future
for scoring officials in Victoria. Thanks to Chief
Statistician Lorraine Davies, for steering the
committee through a busy year. From Australian
Team appointments for Jim Giles and Chris
Trengove in July 2014, to the newest members of
our community achieving Level 1 accreditation, we
are confident Victoria can continue to produce
confident and capable statisticians to support local
Clubs, Associations, State and National teams. We
are lobbying Softball Australia to continue their
work in enhancing the accreditation pathway and
education options, to ensure courses are accessible
for everyone.
Umpiring
th
In the 19 year of the event, we headed back to a
familiar town in Shepparton, but a new location in
Mooroopna, with the biggest contingent of
participants in over 10 years. The local cricket club
members were surprised at the speed and accuracy
of both the pitchers and batters. Fortunately the
weather was kind and there was only a small fog
delay Saturday morning. A huge thanks goes to the
tireless efforts of the tournament convenor,
grounds crew and our happy team of blues.
Coaching
Associations were once again big supporters in our
push to ensure young softballers have a positive
experience at the park each week, by promoting the
Community Coach and Level 1 Coach accreditation
pathway to their members. On a high performance
note we were very fortunate to have the skills of
Australian coaches Lindsay Carroll and Darrin
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Once again our blues shone on the diamonds locally,
nationally and internationally. Ten Victorian
umpires attended National Championships,
covering 19 appointments across the season.
Congratulations to Richard Barrow and Trevor
Murphy who attended the Canadian Open Fastpitch
and Pacific Games tournament respectively.
This year we also saw Di Waller inducted into the
Softball Australia Hall of Fame for her long-standing
contributions to the sport nationally. Di retired from
umpiring early 2014. Debbie Grove received Life
Membership of Softball Victoria in 2014 as well.
Both ladies have worked tirelessly for the sport at
every level, and we congratulate them both on their
achievements and recognition.
Page |5
Finally, I would like to thank the Board and our
Committee representatives for their tireless work
towards enhancing the way we deliver softball in
Victoria. To my small but very dedicated staff, thank
you for going above and beyond on a daily basis. The
support you provide to me and our committees is
invaluable, and ensures we can continue to deliver
positive outcomes for our members.
Joanne Phillips
Executive Officer
Softball Victoria
Clockwise from top left: Titans Open Women, Captains Challenge, U15 Regional Championships and U15 State Championships
Photos Courtesy of TrueView Photography and Softball Victoria
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Page |6
Life Members & Hall of Fame Inductees
Life Members
1946
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1954
1955
1956
1963
1964
1968
1971
1975
1977
1979
Jack OWENS*
William NEWSOME*
Irene BURROWES*
Lorraine MICHAEL (nee REID)
Jack FRANKLIN*
William MUIR*
Roy BARTLETT*
Frances CRAIG*
Dorothy LUMSDEN*
Judy THOMPSON*
Gwen HOOPELL
Thomas DOBSON*
Esther DEASON, MBE*
Glory BAIN
Elizabeth DORNAN*
Myrtle EDWARDS*
Merle SHORT*
Marjorie DWYER*
Lorraine IRELAND (nee CADMAN)
Pauline CAREW*
1980
1984
1986
1988
1989
1996
1998
1999
1999
1999
2001
2003
2006
2009
2009
2010
2010
2012
2014
Midge NELSON MBE
Arthur ALLSOPP*
Elaine DUYVESTYN
Aubrey KOTZ
Betty MCGUIRE
Margo KOSKELAINEN OAM
John BYRNE
Lyn BISHOP
Lorraine DAVIES
Vivienne TRIPLETT*
Des SMITH
Bill GOBBART*
George JAMES
Kevin BROOMHALL
Leigh EVANS
Dot BOURKE
Rhonda SCAMMELL
Esther LIGHTOWLER
Debbie GROVE
*Denotes deceased
HALL OF FAME
Ken ALLAN
Jan ALLSOPP
Rhonda BOYD
Helena COGHLAN
Myrtle EDWARDS*
Leanne EVANS
Judy DE LACY
Esther DEASON MBE*
Bess DORNAN*
Rita GUY
Denise HUTCHINSON-DAYNES
Josephine LOTON
Merrilyn MIDDLIN
Midge NELSON MBE
Joanne PAEZ
Gladys PHILLIPS
Marjorie SARGENT
Merle SHORT*
Margaret SWANN
Vivienne TRIPLETT*
Sandra TROYHAN
Norma WOOD
Awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement in Softball
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Page |7
Board & Staff Members
Board of Directors
President
Jenny Holliday
Directors
Gail Bergmann
Roger Maddern
Kerri Tepper
Karen Wallace
Dot Bourke(retired July 2014)
Grant Rice
David Talalla
Ilsa Anstey
Staff
Executive Officer
Joanne Phillips
Coach Education & Athlete Development Coordinator Donna Carbis
Association Coordinator
Kerrie Laverick
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Page |8
Award Recipients
Merle Short Service Award
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:
Christine CLINNICK
Frankston
Judy HANLEY
Frankston
Mal JANSEN
Frankston
Sharon JANSEN
Frankston
Andrea MANSFIELD
Frankston
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. There were no scholarship recipients for
2014
Peter Phillips Award
In honour of Peter Phillips, who mentored and coached many of our female stars, the award is
presented to the most valuable Under 17 female player in her contribution to the team both on and
off the diamond during training and Championship. This year it was awarded to:
Gemma HAMILTON
Mihikura TUIALII
Waverley
Waverley
Margo Koskelainen Umpire of the Year
The Margo Koskelainen Umpire of the Year award recognises an umpire for their high level of
officiating skill and commitment to the Victorian and National Umpiring Program. This year’s recipient
is:
Trevor MURPHY
Werribee
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. This year’s recipient is:
Helen EDWARDS
Keilor Park
Rookie Statistician of the Year
The Rookie Statistician of the Year award recognises a newly accredited scorer for their contribution
to scoring in Victoria at a local and state level. This year’s recipient is
Catherine GARONI
Albury Wodonga
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Page |9
Financial Statements
SOFTBALL VICTORIA INC
ABN 22 747 699 848
Independent Audit Report to the Assocation & its Affiliates
Scope
We have audited the financial report, being a special purpose financial report comprising the Statement by
Members of the Board, Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet & Notes to the Financial Statements for the
year ended 30 April 2015.
Board’s Responsibility
The Board is responsible for the financial report and has determined that the accounting policies used are
appropriate to meet the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012, Softball Victoria
and its affiliates.
The Board’s responsibilities also include establishing and maintaining internal controls relevant to the
preparation and fair presentation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due
to fraud or error, selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies and making accounting estimates
that are reasonable in the circumstances.
Auditor’s Responsibility
We have conducted an independent audit of this financial report in order to express an opinion on it to the
association and its affiliates. No opinion is expressed as to whether the accounting policies used are
appropriate to the needs of the affiliates.
The financial report has been prepared for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the Associations
Incorporation Reform Act 2012. We disclaim any assumption of responsibility for any reliance on this
report or on the financial report to which it relates to any person other than the affiliates, or for any purpose
other than that for which it was prepared.
Our audit has been conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Our procedures included
examination, on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and other disclosures in the financial report
and the evaluation of significant accounting estimates. These procedures have been undertaken to form an
opinion whether, in all material respects, the financial report is presented fairly in accordance with the
accounting policies described in the Notes. These policies do not require the application of all Australian
Accounting Standards and other mandatory professional reporting requirements. The audit opinion
expressed in this report has been formed on the above basis.
Independence
In conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of Australian professional
ethical pronouncements.
Audit Opinion
In our opinion the financial report presents fairly the financial position of Softball Victoria Inc as at 30
April 2015 and the results of its operations for the year then ended, in accordance with the accounting
policies described in the Notes and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.
COSTER GALGUT PTY LTD ACN 66 005 054 866
PROFIT & LOSS STATEMENT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2015
2015
2014
$
$
INCOME
Grants
Note 2
92,250
108,000
Members Levies
Note 3
177,442
168,466
47,782
47,632
170,790
188,866
Development Academy Levies
State Team Levies
SAL Fees Collected
Note 4
-
-
Events Revenue
Note 5
25,908
75,497
State Team Dinner
11,830
11,386
Sponsorship
12,500
10,000
Course Revenue
11,017
6,229
8,781
4,707
558,300
620,783
Development Academy
48,402
44,519
State Team Expenses
178,162
194,834
4,274
2,796
Events Expenses
24,374
56,046
State Team Dinner Expenses
10,456
13,397
171,616
130,686
-
6,000
36,294
27,473
-
-
2,041
1,962
Bad and Doubtful Debts
22,609
5,174
Rent and Rates
13,576
10,408
Administration
26,390
49,991
538,193
543,286
20,107
77,497
Other
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
SAL Fees and Cost Share Allocation
Staff Costs
Consultants
Insurance
Motor Vehicle Expenses
Board and Technical Committee Expenses
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
NET SURPLUS
Note 4
BALANCE SHEET
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2015
2015
$
2014
$
319,915
318,661
7,118
7,118
83,567
49,348
CURRENT ASSETS
Bank
Marj Dwyer Trust Account
Accounts Receivable
Prepaid Expenses
5,349
636
55,823
636
10,000
426,585
199
431,786
Plant & Equipment at Written Down Value
838
2,076
TOTAL NON CURRENT ASSETS
838
2,076
427,422
433,862
60,533
99,851
Uniform Stock
Other Receivables
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS
NON CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETS
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts Payable
Credit Card
3,305
1,546
Unearned Revenue
3,364
3,250
Accrued Expenses
13,699
17,433
GST Payable
8,284
-5,321
PAYG Tax Payable
2,288
1,956
14,727
13,743
-
287
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES
106,199
132,745
TOTAL LIABILITIES
106,199
132,745
321,223
301,116
301,116
223,619
Staff Leave Provisions
SAL Fees Payable
NET ASSETS
EQUITY
Retained Earnings
Surplus
TOTAL EQUITY
20,107
321,223
77,497
301,116
CASH FLOWS STATEMENT
FOR YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2015
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Receipts from Affiliates, Teams, Sponsors & Others
511,547
Payments to Service Suppliers
(513,140)
Interest Received
2,847
Net Cash Provided by/(Used in) Operating Activities
1,254
CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Receipts from Sale of Fixed Assets
-
Net Cash Provided by/(Used in) Investing Activities
-
CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Increase/(Decrease) in Finance Liabilities
-
Net Cash From Financing Activities
-
Net Increase/(Decrease) in Cash Held
1,254
Cash at Beginning of Financial Year
318,661
Cash at End of Financial Year
319,915
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2015
Note 1
Statement of Significant Accounting Policies
These financial statements are a special purpose financial report prepared in order to satisfy the financial reporting
requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. The Board has determined that the Association
is not a reporting entity.
The statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform
Act 2012.
No other Australian Accounting Standards or other mandatory professional reporting requirements have been
applied.
The Statements are prepared on an accrual basis of accounting, use historical costs and do not take into account
changing money values.
Depreciation
Depreciation is charged annually based on the estimated useful life of assets.
Income Tax
The Association is exempt from income tax under section 50-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
Note 2
Grant Revenue
$
Department of Planning and Community Development
- VMA 2012- 2015
- WISAR
Softball Australia – Association Coordinator
Partner Associations – Association Coordinator
45,583
18,750
26,833
5,000
5,000
Vic Health
36,666
Total Grant Revenue
92,250
Member’s Levies
Note 3
Senior
104,874
Junior
47,335
Masters
3,556
Tee-Ball
10,152
Official/Off-Diamond
6,128
Other
1,534
Insurance fees
3,886
Total Member’s Levies
Note 4
177,442
SAL Fees
Membership fees collected on behalf of SAL are shown in the Balance Sheet. There is no income or expenditure
shown for this item. Expenditure for 2015 relates only to SAL Cost Share expenses.
Note 5
Events Revenue
U12 Spectacular
1,181
State Championships Fees
8,318
Masters Championships
14,726
Other
1,681
Total Events Revenue
25,908
.
.
COACHING COMMITTEE
No report provided
Our Members
ALBURY WODONGA SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Kathy Goode, Secretary
The 2014/15 season numbers were slightly
up on the previous year. We had 331
members. From the numbers we had 7 men’s
teams, 4 A Grade women, 6 B grade women’s,
4 U16’s, 6 U14’s and 6 U12’s teams compete.
Our association did not hold a come and try
day last season as from the ones we held
before numbers attending was not great and
the swap over from winter to summer sports
prevented others from attending.
Albury Wodonga association sent teams
away to compete in every state
championship.
With
several
teams
competing in grand finals.
We had five teams compete at Masters this
year. Our women’s division 3 team, the Pink
Diamonds, made the finals and won gold.
We had ten players make Victorian State
selection.
Steven Garoni, Adam Garoni, Aaron Nitschke,
Ethan McDougall and Dustin McDougall
competed in the U19’s state team.
Thanks must go to Kiera Nicholson for her
help in training the players here in Albury to
assist with the requirements the players must
do to compete in these teams.
Our association had two umpires receive
higher levels through accreditation this
season. Lachlan Summers reaching level 2
and Jamie Sidoti reaching level 1.
Congratulations to all our umpires, especially
Alan Van Breda who always does the
association proud.
Lastly as always a huge thanks to our
committee for their tireless and often unseen
work, which they do to allow the sport to
continue in Albury Wodonga. We are seeing
several of our long-term members step down
this year and they will be greatly missed.
Ebony Fulford made the U 19’s girl’s team.
Alex Clayton, Lock Spinelli, Bradley Nicholson
and Lachlan Summers competed in the U17’s
boy’s team.
CASEY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Sandra Whalley, President
Casey Softball Association remains one of the
larger Associations in the state of Victoria and
we are maintaining our number of registered
members, as we have done for the last 5
years.
We are were still able to give all of our
members a home-based competition at our
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
grounds at Sweeney Reserve, juniors and
seniors, with our junior numbers steadily
improving. All of our women's competitions
remain strong with 20 teams competing in 3
grades. The B grade men's competition is still
highly competitive but unfortunately the A
grade Men's competition was very
disappointing with only 3 teams competing.
P a g e | 15
This season we offered U13 girls & boys and
U17 Girls & Boys competitions. The success of
the U17 boys competition this season was
due to 2 other Associations being Frankston
and Knox entering teams into our home
competition. This age group remains the
most difficult problem for most Associations
and is in real jeopardy next season.
We believe our level of competition we can
offer at Casey is still extremely high and we
are pleased with the number of players from
Casey who continue to be selected into the
Victorian State Teams and the Australian
teams. Richard Wickliffe continues to work
with our Junior players every Monday to
develop them in every aspect of the game.
The improvement in our junior standard of
play has improved immensely due to the
program he offers.
As with all other Associations we will
endeavour to promote the sport of softball in
our area over the next few months, and
hopefully will have further recruitment
success for the forthcoming season..
DANDENONG SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Mark Scammell, President
The Association would like to recognise the
support of the City of Greater Dandenong.
Major works are still in negotiation and are
yet to be finalised on diamond 5.
Unfortunately, many obstacles are still
facing us with regards to affirmative action
for this – this situation is restricting our
ability to host state championships. We
continue to work with council in order to
improve our playing facilities.
We were able to enter 5 representative
teams in all age groups at State
Championship level where our Under 17
Girls team claimed the ‘Plate title.
It was disappointing that we were unable to
enter representative teams for Boys
however we remain committed to
recruitment of Male participants and will
endeavour
to
enter
all
State
Championships in the future.
Congratulations to all representative teams
and officials.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Our indoor batting facilities continue to be
a major asset to both our representative
and club teams; we have also been able to
make this facility available to State teams
and State development squads.
A new floor has been laid inside the pavilion
that allows more durability and diverse
usage.
We continue to work with the council in
upgrading our facilities for all members.
Although our membership base continues
to remain stable or have a slight increase,
any recruitment of new members obviously
brings benefits to the association.
Dandenong is an active participant in the
AASC initiative in the hope of drawing as
many players as possible to softball in the
area.
This
season,
Dandenong
Softball
Association welcomed a new club (South
Eastern Angels) who will assist in giving the
association another base-point for
recruitment and development.
P a g e | 16
New initiatives are being explored in
member retention as well as recruitment of
new members and what type of
competitions we are offering to engage
more members.
We continue to support the various
Masters’ tournaments played through
teams; Dandenong Masters Women,
Pinewood Rebels Men and Springvale Men.
All teams are very competitive and enjoy
the tournaments. Congratulations to
Dandenong Masters Women on winning
the B-Grade Gold Medal at the last
Victorian Championships in Traralgon. Well
done to all for representing the Association
so well!
The following members represented the
Association and State at the 2015 series of
National Championships;
We fielded teams in Open Women’s and
Men’s, Under 17 Girls, and the Under 15
Girls as well as Under 12. Our A-Grade
Men’s teams participated in a joint
competition with Casey.
All Dandenong teams again were very
competitive and the majority of teams
contested in finals series with many
members being awarded Best and Fairest
honours for the season as well as Grand
Final MVP awards.
Pinewood was successful in winning the
Under 15 Girls and Southern Knights
captured their second Open Women’s
Premiership in a row this year, while
Pinewood Women won the Plate Division.
Southern Knights were also successful in
claiming the A-Grade Men’s title in a joint
competition with Casey.
Ebony Wroe
Sam Beales
Bree Wanke
Tania Puketapu
Matt Puketapu
(Ass.Coach)
Jim Giles
(Statistician)
Bree Wanke
The job of keeping our internet sites and
Facebook page up to date and developing
them into a useful tool for both current
members and prospective members is an
ongoing project. This forum continues to be
the leading communication method
amongst our members. We appreciate the
efforts of our Webmasters and to Brett
Russell for taking and uploading the photos
to both our web-page and Facebook.
Also congratulations to the following for
representing School Sport Victoria;
17 & Under
Ebony Wroe
The canteen is still our major money earner
and we thank Sue Black for her excellent
administration of this service.
Australian Representatives
Special Congratulations to Jim Giles who
was selected to travel with the Australian
Under 19 Men’s team (Colts) to the 2014
ISF Junior Men’s World Championships.
A special thank-you to Daniel DeSachau for
making sure our grounds are well looked
after and in playable condition week after
week.
Under 19 Women
Under 19 Men
Under 23 Women
Open Women
Dandenong was again an active participant
in the South Eastern Metropolitan Region.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
There are many people that contribute to
the Associations’ success; however special
recognition needs to go to the Executive
Team members, Andrea Wanke, Lee Marsh,
P a g e | 17
Tracey Jackson, Brett Russell and Perin
Dawson.
Special mention was given to Henry
DeSachau and Jim Giles for their continued
support of the executive committee.
Finally, thanks to the coaches, scorers,
umpires and all the members of the
Association that contributed to the success
of the 2014/2015 year
FRANKSTON SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Malcolm Jansen, President
No Report.
GEELONG SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Janine Jewell, President
Board/Management
The Geelong softball Board/Delegates had a
very successful year in this season we hosted
The Victorian Open championships,
The Catholic Secondary Schools
tournament,
Competed in other Victorian
tournament’s,
Continued our involvement with the
AASC,
Ran a six team Open women’s
competition
Held a Batter up program and
competition,
Our Membership increased due to
having a new team join us.
Without the hard work from our Board and
delegates Geelong softball will not continue
to grow. I wish to acknowledge our hard
working Board and Delegates
Greg Christie, Carolyn Christie, David Addlem,
Stacey Birch, Lynne Willmott,
Debbie
Brackley, Mandy Beattie, Ruth Addlem,
Rachel Smith & Kelly Williams.
Competitions
The Geelong Open women’s competition was
run on a Wednesday night
Teams All Stars, Birralee White and
Gold, Cougars, East Belmont Saints and
Ocean Grove.
Premiership team was Birralee
White, runners up East Belmont Saints.
Other Competitions
Geelong Men played in the Tuesday
Night League winning the competition.
Geelong Men again played in the
Werribee Competition on a Saturday as
Cougars winning both the A and B divisions.
Ocean Grove also entered in the
Womens Werribee A/B completion with
players from several Geelong clubs they were
runners up.
Newcomb this season decided to play
a season in Werribee and winning their
division.
Juniors
Geelong again ran a Batter Up/Junior
program with some success. I would like to
thank Lynne Willmott and Amanda Hotchin in
particular who took over the running of
Juniors as Lynne was unavailable for some
time during the year along with a small group
of helpers for all their efforts this season.
We were also once again involved with the
Active after schools Community program.
Grounds and Canteen
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 18
We are lucky to have good grounds and the
support we receive from COGG and Barwon
Water is much appreciated.
Our groundsmen in Tom and Mal Davies have
again keep our diamonds in peck condition
and have worked above and beyond to keep
them at their best condition and the extra
hours they put in for the open was much
appreciated by all who attended.
Our canteen Ladies in Lorraine Davies and
Leanne Linehan have again taken on the
feeding of our players and have served many
happy customers. They also put in many long
and extra hours during the open
Tournaments/ Achievements
Our Men’s and Women’s teams again
competed at state tournaments.
Achievements:Victorian Women’s Under 23s
Championships (Brisbane)
Ruth Addlem, Loryn Batrich & Emma Willmott
(Emma received the MVP for the
Tournament) (Emma also received the MVP
in the Waverley Saturday competition).
Kate Willmott Vic U19 Girls
(Adelaide) and School Sport Vic 17 and under
- Bronze medallists (Sydney)
Victorian
Men’s
National
Championships
George Psimaris, Ash Hoe & Dave Butler.
Head Coach Women’s Under 23 State
Team & SSV under 17s School Girls
Karl Willmott
SSV under 17 school girls Lynne
Willmott (Scorer)
Lorraine Davies re-achieved her Level
4 scoring certification
We also hosted the Victorian Open
tournament and I would like to thank
everyone who put in many hours to make it a
great success.
Media
We continued to use Facebook and our web
site as an important way of communicating
with our members.
Umpires
Once again David Addlem has done a
wonderful job of getting umpires a special
thanks to him and his team.
Keanu Tauiwi, Angela Broadbent,
Trevor Murphy, Talia McDonald ,Jarryd
Addlem, Michael Morse ,Kevin Offer and
Chrissy Walker
Conclusion
In conclusion I would like to thank everyone
who has assisted Geelong Softball
Association this year and hope that with a
continuing group of devoted and dedicated
volunteers we can continue to grow. It has
been good to see the competition
maintaining and hope that we can increase
numbers over the coming years.
.
GLEN EIRA SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Lisa Cleland, President
I would like to thank the committee for the
time and effort that every one of them has
put in over the season. It’s not to be
underestimated the job the committee has to
do to enable everyone to play a game of
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
softball, and unfortunately in recent years
this job has been left to too few.
City of Glen Eira
The Association recognises the support of
Glen Eira City Council. We continue to receive
P a g e | 19
great support as we are a predominantly
female sporting organisation. The grounds
remain some of the best maintained in the
state, and we now have improved netting on
Diamond 2, that only improves the grounds
further.
We also entered an U12 team in the
Spectacular, and everyone had a fun but
exhausting day.
Association activity
Masters
The association would like to pay many
thanks to the Kerney family for performing
close to all home game day tasks, Karen
organised the umpiring fixture for much of
the season, as well as running the canteen or
having her children man the canteen for
much of the day. Phil did a fantastic job with
the grounds.
The recently completed Masters tournament
in Shepparton was a great success for the GE
Corkers team that attended. In their third
Masters tournament they took out the
Division 4 ladies title, giving them back to
back gold medals. Congratulations to the
Corkers for representing the Association so
well!
Congratulations to our associations award
winners for the season Jacqui Glassey (Senior
Player of the Year), Niamh Carmody (Most
Promising Junior) & Jenny McDonough (Most
Valuable Contributor) who all represented
the association with great distinction.
Recruitment / Membership
Our presentation day was a great success,
with a fantastic turnout of juniors and seniors
to play a very entertaining and competitive
game! To have Eric Scott and Ken Schilling
speak about the foundations of the
Moorabbin Youth Club and in turn
Moorabbin Softball Association was another
highlight. It was pleasing to see us have our
highest attendance of life members in many
years also.
Victorian Championships
At Championships we entered a merged U17
girls team with Frankston Softball
Association, an U19 women’s team and an
Open women’s team. We unfortunately did
not attain the same highs as last season,
however we did have some great highlights
with our U17 girls contributing well, our U19
women show cased some great skills for a
very young team with some valuable pick-ups
and our Open team who stayed close knit
despite not getting a win, as well as having a
couple of debutants.
Thank you to all representative teams and
officials.
Membership figures continue to struggle,
however one very pleasing aspect has been
the growth of the U12 participation thanks
largely to the work of Jenny McDonough. We
continue to try to explore opportunities in the
community to promote and grow softball in
the area, but with many competing sports
this continues to remain a challenge.
State Representatives
The following members represented the
Association and State at the 2015 series of
National Championships; Under 17 Girls:
Hannah Bahn, U19 Women: Alisha Bell
(Assistant Coach) and Open Women: Jessica
Bahn & Marina Walker. Congratulations to all
on their achievements.
Season ahead
We held a successful AGM on June 8th, I
welcome Jane Geeson to the President role,
and with a full committee this season, I’m
sure she will have great success. Thank you to
all previous committee members for the
contributions and welcome to new and
returning committee members for the season
ahead..
.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 20
KEILOR PARK SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION:
No Report.
KNOX & DISTRICT SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Richard Johnson, President
This year has been a challenge for Knox, and
next year is likely to be as well. Most clubs
have had a reduction in player and team
numbers. This is consistent with the trend
throughout Victoria.
Jared Reynolds was named MVP for the Boys’
team.
Despite this, some developments this season
provide encouragement for the future.
In addition, Heather Hyland, Julieanne
Kinsella, Georgia Reynolds and Alana Zwart
were all selected to represent Softball
Victoria at the Under 15 Regional
Championships in Adelaide in January.
On Diamond Performance
Summer Season 2014/16
Masters
This year we had 2 under 12 teams, 2 Under
15 Girls teams, 2 Under 15 Boys teams and
one Under 17 Girls team involved in SEMR
competitions. We also had one Under 17
Girls team playing at Waverley and one Under
17 Boys team playing at Casey.
In April and May 2015 we conducted a
successful warm-up competition for a
number of teams involved in the Victorian
Masters Championships. This involved three
men’s teams (2 from Knox, one from
Dandenong) and six women’s teams (4 from
Knox and 2 from Waverley). It was a great
opportunity for everyone to practice a variety
of skills in advance of the Masters
tournament. A similar competition will take
place in April and May 2016.
In June 2014 five teams from Knox (four
women’s and one men’s) participated in the
Championships. Hard Knox won the C Grade
competition.
Development
Many players were involved in the
Development Program throughout winter
with Alana Zwart, Jared Reynolds and Adam
Dodson travelling to Adelaide to participate
in Softball Victoria Under 15 Academy teams.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
We continued with 3 grades of senior
women’s competitions this season, with a
minor change in game time. A team from
Worawa Aboriginal College also participated.
Senior Knox teams were also involved in the
Open 1 and Open 2 competitions at Waverley
and in the SEMR Open Men’s competition.
State Championships
This year we were only able to field an Open
Women’s team and Under 17 Girls and Boys
teams at State Championships.
Player
numbers and availability impacted upon our
ability field teams at the Under 15
Championship.
A special mention to Jess Mattsson who also
received the Alan Vogt Award for the most
P a g e | 21
valuable Knox player at the Under 17 Girls
State Championships.
Representative Players
Congratulations
to
Knox’s
Victorian
representatives, Glen Rigg, Mark Rigg, Sarah
Beales, Brittany Kennett, Kiara Rigg and
Rhiannon Thorne. Congratulations also to
Mark Rigg and Luke Lee Tet who coached the
under 17 girls.
Administrative Performance
Grounds
Thanks to Merv Larter, our longstanding
groundskeeper, who again coordinated
organisation of the grounds during the
season with his helpers, Tim Rigg and Colin
Watkeys.
Canteen
Thanks also to Judy Mentiplay, who resigned
as Canteen Manager after over 10 years of
service to Knox.
Judy once again acted as chief-carer of the
Knox family crèche, keeping an eye out for a
number of our younger junior players and
their even younger siblings while their
parents were off coaching, playing and
umpiring. Thank you for you all your hard
work, Judy!
Associations Coordinator
The recent appointment of Kerrie Laverick as
Associations Coordinator is proving useful.
Kerrie has been helping clubs ensure that
they are complying with Consumer Affairs
Victoria requirements, and will helping us
with a variety of matters up until the end of
this year (and hopefully further into the
future).
Kerrie is an excellent resource that our clubs
also have direct access to if desired.
Committee
Finally I would like to thank the various
members of our Committee who have been
involved in undertaking a variety of tasks this
season. Without a Committee Knox simply
wouldn’t function and there are many jobs
that most people who are not involved at a
Committee level do not realise would not get
done but for the Committee members. Thank
you all!
NORTHERN DISTRICT SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Cathy Ferraro, Secretary
Northern District Softball Association’s preseason began with a promotional table at the
Father’s Day Promotion at Bunnings South
Morang. As with last year, this event was
used to distribute our Come & Try pamphlets.
We would like to thank Bunnings South
Morang for the opportunity to show our
presence and therefore give us the
opportunity to take softball to the general
community in Mill Park.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
The Come & Try Day saw approximately 35
new faces with 21 registering on the day and
of which 18 have remained as members.
Again we believe that by commencing our
pre-season training early and with this
providing the new members somewhere to
go after Come and Try, this assisted in
retaining this number of new members. A big
thank you to everyone involved in running
the pre-season sessions for both the juniors
and seniors. Once the season commenced,
training returned to Thursday evenings.
P a g e | 22
These evening sessions would not be possible
if it wasn’t for the dedicated coaches who are
there every week. Thank you for your
dedication - it is much appreciated.
Northern District Softball Association started
its season on 11 October 2014 with 4 Tee-Ball
teams, 4 U13 teams, 4 U16 teams, 4 U19
teams, 4 Women’s Open teams (1 team
dropping out before the season commenced
and then another dropping out towards the
end of the season, both due to lack of
numbers). This season again saw no Blastball
conducted at Northern. During the season, it
was found that though much effort is given to
recruiting new junior players, we must also
put some effort into recruiting and retaining
older junior and adult players.
The Tee-Ballers again did not play in a
competitive division but rather the coaches
concentrated on skills and the element of fun
in the game of Tee-Ball, with many of our
young ones hitting off coach pitches by the
end of the season. We are also continuing to
work with the schools in the area to hold
various Tee-Ball round robin days at NDSA
which we are developing into a recruiting
tool.
The U12 division played using the U12
Spectacular Rules. These were used so that
our players would be ready to play in the U12
Spectacular but also to kjeep the game
moving and the children enjoyed themselves.
From these players, a team participated in
the U12 Spectacular in February and had a
great day at Werribee.
Both our U16 and U19 divisions this year
were again of mixed gender, age and talent.
These divisions were quite competitive with
Monarchs Red taking out the Grand Final
against Cheetahs in the U16 competition and
Cheetahs White taking out the Grand Final
against Monarchs in the U19 division.
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
The Open Women’s competition started well
with one team from Amigos, one from
Rebels, one from Cheetahs and one from
Monarchs. Games were of varying skill levels
depending on which teams were playing.
Some very exciting softball was played and
watched. This included the Grand Final
between Cheetahs and Monarchs which saw
a very close and exciting game with Cheetahs
taking out the Grand Final in a score of 9-8.
Northern District Softball Association entered
5
representative
teams
at
State
Championship level – an Open Women’s
team, a men’s Under 19 team, a girls Under
17 team, a boys’ Under 17 team and a girls’
Under 15 team. All our representative
players, coaches and other officials should be
well pleased with their performance at the
State Championships. We would like to thank
all the Coaches, Managers, Scorers and
Umpire’s for all their hard work leading up to
and including the days of the championships.
We would also like to thank the parents of
our representative players for their support.
The Under 15 Victorian Championship was
hosted by Northern District on the weekend
of 31 January/1 February 2015. The many
sponsors and volunteers for this event
ensured that the weekend ran smoothly and
was very enjoyable for all who attended, be
they players or spectators. The Mayor and
councilors of the City of Whittlesea were
absolutely enthralled by the spectacular
Under 15 Boys’ Grand Final and could not
believe the enthusiasm of both the players
playing and spectators watching the game.
Well done and a big thank you to all the
players, officials, spectators and volunteers
that made the weekend a great one.
Northern District Softball Association would
like to congratulate our three Victorian
Representatives this year in the National
Under 17 competition – Craig Kneebone,
Mihikura (Mitzi) Tuialii and Nicholas Sheedy.
Nicholas Sheedy also competed in the
P a g e | 23
National Under 19 competition. Having
players and officials participate at this level
has encouraged many of our younger players
to strive a little further in their softball
pathway.
On a personal level, I would like to extend a
special thank you to all those who have
assisted in any small way to make this year a
great success – the Committee, the Umpires,
the Coaches, the Scorers, the Grounds crew,
the Canteen staff and all members of the
Association
SUNBURY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION:
No Report.
SUNSHINE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Jo Ingram, Secretary
No Report.
WAVERLEY SOFTBALL ASOCIATION: Moira Teichert & Erik Steemers Presidents
Waverley currently has 443 members, which
is a slight increase from previous year, but
still part of an overall longer term declining
trend. In our Senior grades we had 5 teams
(+2 external) in Open 1, 6 teams (+2) in Open
2, 9 in Open 3 and 7 in Open 4. In our Junior
grades we had 3 teams (+1) in U17, 4 in U15,
4 (+1) in U13, 4 in U11, and none in T-ball.
Key highlights of the year included the Pink
Day Fundraiser in October, our participation
in the various tournaments including the U12
Spectacular and our own ever popular Easter
Carnival, the summer competition with its
night games and exciting finals, the great
cooperation with our new SV Association
Coordinator and our off-season Junior Skills
development program.
Waverley was proud to recently host the
independent inaugural Winter Softball
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
League, which had 70 girls participating and
turned out to be a great success.
We would like to thank all volunteers that
have in their own big and small ways
contributed to another successful year at the
Waverley softball grounds.
Going into the new year, a key focus of the
softball community will have to be to grow
the (junior) participation in our Sport in
earnest, to ensure the continued viability of
our Clubs and Competitions. With the
increased communication and cooperation
across VIC we have witnessed in recent times,
we have all confidence that we can tackle this
challenge together.
. A full account of our activities can be found
in our Annual Report at
http://bit.do/WSA-ar15
P a g e | 24
WERRIBEE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION: Chris Holliday, President
The preparation for the season started in
June working on the calendar of events and
work plan for the up and coming season.
With nine Exec committee members staying
on, we set out to forecast the budget based
on the calendar and activities we wanted to
deliver for the members and from the
information the members feed through to us
in our evaluation. Our goal was to offer more
opportunities for our juniors and a more
inclusive competition for the season.
We have found that with the nine exec
committee members there was a greater
sharing of the workload making it easier for
everyone.
Our season kicked off with the annual major
event for WSA, the Memorial Shield which
was held in September and once again
proved to be a great success. The number of
teams entered increased from 21 teams last
season to 30 team including both Men’s &
Women’s from all over Victoria. Teams also
included both the boys and girls U17, and
womens U19 Vic state teams. The Victorian
U19 Women’s team won the Open women’s
division and Comets winning the men’s
division.
The Memorial Shield tournament is now a
major event considered as a build up for the
nationals, the PanPacs in the Gold Coast and
Australian Masters held every other year.
Softball Victoria’s umpiring development
program is into its second year holding its first
course of the season at this tournament level 2 at WSA.
Once again this year saw the need to fit 18
rounds into 15 weeks due to the timing of
various holidays and State Championships.
This meant that the men played double
headers some weeks which extended the day
and made for a great atmosphere later in the
day.
Vale
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
During the season, a member of the WSA
Association Terry Tamarua passed away.
Terry was a junior coach to many of our
Association superstars and Association Coach
on many occasions as well as representing
Victoria. Terry’s three daughters also played
Softball and Terry remained involved with the
game and his friends from the sport until he
passed away. So many of us at Werribee are
thankful l to Terry and what he gave to the
game but mostly that he gave of himself to us
all. He will always be remembered by
members of the Association.
This season Softball Australia changed their
Fee structure, which filters down to
Associations, Clubs and members; this
allowed for more flexibility for Associations
to better assist families with more than 3
members playing , receiving assistance.
With the success of introducing the incentive
payment plan during the 2013/14 season,
WSA made clubs aware that the incentive
was again available for them to take
advantage of.
WSA had 4 permitted teams enter into the
competition this season and we made them
aware they could take advantage of the same
incentive, however they were given the
option to be part of the canteen & clean up
roster & receive reduce fees from the
previous year which received a positive
response.
It was determined that there was not a lot
that had to be changed for 2014/15 season,
however it was necessary to increase prices
over the counter to help with rising costs
absorbed by the association in previous
years.
We continued rostering the Clubs on a two
hour shift with the request to be notified 2
wks or more in advance. Most of the
members found the shift a lot easier and
having a better understanding and
P a g e | 25
appreciation for the work done behind the
scenes.
The canteen continued its high standard of
service and found customers were getting
served quicker.
WSA would like to take this opportunity, on
behalf of the Exec Committee and members
to thank Alex Genovese who reported not
only to WSA exec but also to Wyndham City
Council when inspections of the canteen
were required and with the help of Wendy &
Debbie for their commitment & tireless work
for the smooth running of the canteen for all
to enjoy and not to mention the roast spits
cooked through the season by Chris Holliday.
WSA continued with improvements to the
grounds purchasing new bases, replacing
mounting plates in the ground and repairing
one pitching mat from last year. With the
purchase of a Wacker plate we were able to
improve and level the batter’s box on a
regularly basis. Steve Balistrino was happy to
stay on as groundsmen for the season.
Wyndham City Council Liaise Officer
Chris Holliday had several meetings with
Wyndham City Council as part of Presidents
Park Working Group. This is a group that
discuss the needs at each venue to inform the
group of necessary improvements to keep in
line with other facilities within WCC. The
fences at WSA from diamonds 1-5 have been
selected for repairs and will go ahead in 201516 season, dependent on local government
budget allocations.
This is ongoing with council to highlight that
WSA has had past and present Victorian and
Australian representative’s and that
President Softball park is considered a
training hub for SV state teams and the goal
to hold an Australian championship in the
near future.
A report was conducted prior to the U19 SV
Championships and U12 spectacular at WSA
sanctioned by Softball Australia has been
handed to council as to the condition of the
grounds, fence nets to highlight any other
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
problems that needed addressing to hold
such an event.
This is an ongoing process.
Hosted in Feb with a trivia night on the Friday
night raising over $2,500; Saturday was filled
with raffles, spin the wheel, lolly counting,
home run derby and many other activities to
support the annual pink day EJ Whitten
Prostate cancer foundation.
A men’s game was organised which has
proved to be a great success drawing a big
crowd to stay back to watch past and present
Australian
and
Victorian
male
representatives who have played at Werribee
over the years. Many spectators expressed
they enjoyed the game and the concept.
Vicki Tamarua was asked to throw the first
pitch of the game in memory of Terry
Tamarua who passed away in November.
Thanks to Kylie James for her commitment to
making this a big success raising over $3000.
WSA development was run by Will Tangaroa
held every Wednesday evening at 6pm –
8.30pm during winter where all juniors from
all clubs could learn new skills and reinforce
basic softball skills. This was received
favourably by all the clubs & parents.
WSA continued the Green T-Shirt program for
trainee umpires which is supported by SV
Umpires Association and managed by Trevor
Murphy WSA Umpiring Coordinator. This
season 6 juniors were accredited with their
level 1.
At the State Championships this year, we
entered teams in both boys and girls Under
15 and 17’s and boys Under 19’s, Men’s and
Women’s Open teams. Of the seven teams
entered, the U15 boys were runners up in the
8th innings tie breaker losing 9-8.
Thank you to the Coaches, Managers and
Statisticians who supported these teams and
the parents and friends who were there for
training and support during tournaments.
Hosting State Championships
P a g e | 26
This year WSA held a combined tournament
hosting the U19s SV Championships together
with U12s spectacular. 12 diamonds was
required for the 1 day tournament which was
a complete day full of softball.
Great job by all clubs pitching in to get the
grounds ready.
Werribee club team Giants won the U12
spectacular, a great effort by players &
coaches.
State & Australian Rep Teams
Congratulations to the following players,
statistician and umpires who won State and
Australian Team Caps for 2013/14.
They are:
U17 Boys:
Bailey James, Ethan
Tangaroa and Keanu Tuaiwi (Players)
U17 Girls:
Rebecca
Schaffer,
(Player)
Open Men’s:
Nigel Aiken (Coach),
Jared Warwick (Players)
Umpires:
Trevor
Murphy,
Jason Carter,
Australian Reps/Squad
U17 Men’s Squad:
Bailey James
Umpire:
Jason Carter (U19
Mens World Championships Canada)
A small number of regular umpires carried a
big load of commitments through the season,
often through very difficult weather
conditions and travelling from other
Associations. The umpires at Werribee are
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
highly regarded and are the backbone of the
Victorian umpiring community.
WSA Facebook & Website has been another
way of keeping in touch with our members of
all ages, including other Softball Sporting
Associations and has proven to be very
successful boasting over 444 members to the
fb site. The website has also been updated to
hold valuable information from past &
present history.
This site has been maintained by the
executive.
There were a number of highlights for the
year:
One was the amazing support from clubs all
over Victoria to compete in the Memorial
Shield hosting 30 teams.
SV U19 Championships and U12 spectacular
requiring 12 diamonds for the day.
As this is my last season as President, I would
think that the season was a huge success due
to planning but most of all, the continued
help and support of our Clubs and permit
teams. As always a club or Association such
as WSA would not be successful without a
committed team of Executives members for
their loyalty, input, time and commitment to
the plan established at the start of the
season.
P a g e | 27
High Performance
The following athletes and Team Management represented Victoria in the 2015 National
Championships. Thank you to all those who supported the athletes and contributed endless hours
to improve the opportunities for Softballers in Victoria:
Under 17 Girls
Moesha Attard Casey
Hannah Bahn
Glen Eira Mrbn
Kiara Bax-Rigg Knox
Jemma Brook
Casey
Piera Charles
Waverley
Georgia Donovan Waverley
Gemma Hamilton Waverley
Natasha Holt
Waverley
Nicky Martin
Waverley
Narisse Privitera Waverley
Molly Rayniak
Waverley
Rebecca Shafer Werribee
Rhiannon Thorne Knox
Mihikura Tuialii Nthn District
Tasma Utatao
Waverley
Isabel Zaharias Casey
Coach: Graeme Tuialii Nthn District
Assistant Coaches: Luke Lee Tet, Nth District; Mark Rigg Knox
Manager: Geraldine Grisold, Waverley
Statistician: Ray Carter, Nthn District; Craig Kneebone Nthn District
Sports Trainer:- Natasha Zaharias
Under 17 Boys
Noah Afu
Sunshine
Cody Bamford Casey
Jacob Cassar
Casey
Alex Chapman Casey
Alexander Clayton Alb Wodonga
Tai Crean
Sunshine
Jordan Herangi Casey
Bailey James
Werribee
Henry Mullan
Casey
Bradley Nicholson Alb Wodonga
Nicholas Sheedy Nthn District
Lock Spinelli
Albury Wodonga
Lachlan Summers Albury Wodonga
Ethan Tangaroa Werribee
Keanu Tauiwi
Werribee
Coach: Richard Wickcliffe
Casey
Assistant Coaches: Mak Utatao
Casey, Jayden Bamford Casey
Manager: Lana Utatao
Casey
Statistician: Debbie Lee
Knox
Sports Trainer: Kiera Nicholson Albury Wodonga
Under 19 Women
Sarah Beales
Ebony Fulford
Wodonga
Meaghan Grah
Melissa Byrne
Knox
Albury
Waverley
Molly Joynson
Brittany Kennett
Amelia Mercuri
Gabrielle Mifsud
Bianca Ross
Casey
Knox
Waverley
Sunshine
Waverley
Sarah Scopelliti Casey
Kylie Steemers Waverley
Chelsea Van Twest
Knox
Kate Willmott
Geelong
Ebony Wroe
Dandenong
Coach: Lindsey Carroll Waverley
Assistant Coaches: Darrin Hebditch Waverley, Alisha Bell Glen Eira Moorbn, Michael Yung
Waverley
Manager: Michelle Fulford
Albury Wodonga, Michelle Beales
Knox
Statistician: Catherine Garoni Albury Wodonga
Sports Trainer: Natasha Zaharias
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 28
Under 19 Men
Cody Bamford
Samuel Beales
Jayden Bamford
Ethan Chavasse
Steven Garoni
Casey
Dandenong
Casey
Casey
Albury Wodonga
Bailey James
Werribee
Dean Leskie
Casey
Dustin McDougallAlbury Wodonga
Aaron Nitschke Albury Wodonga
Nicholas Sheedy NDSA
Ethan McDougall Albury Wodonga
Adam Garoni
Albury Wodonga
Scott Newling
Matthew Beckett
Coach: Paul Young, NSW
Assistant Coach: Cheryl Waye, Waverley
Manager: Kerryn Bell, Knox
Statistician:
Under 23 Women
Ruth Addlem
Geelong
Kristy Allen
Waverley
Loryn Batrich
Geelong
Cassandra BlakewayGlen Eira
Moorbn
Jasmine Gray
Emily Grisold
Tania Puketapu
Micah Ropata
Amy Stenniken
Waverley
Waverley
Dandenong
Waverley
Waverley
Elly Trevethen Waverley
Marina Walker Glen Eira Moorbn
Brianna Wanke Dandenong
Emma Willmott Geelong
Alys Young
Waverley
Coach: Karl Willmott
Geelong
Assistant Coaches: Matthew Puketapu Dandenong; Donna Scammell
Manager: Geraldine Grisold Waverley
Statistician: Jim Giles Dandenong
Waverley
Open Women
Samantha Allen Waverley
Jessica Bahn Glen Eira Moorbn
Stacey Bulger
Waverley
Erin Dunstan
Chloe Fagan
Waverley
Brittany Finlayson
Jasmine Gray
Waverley
Morgan Melloh
Kimberley QuinceWaverley
Tayla Supple
Waverley
Sarah Tutchener Waverley
Marina Walker Glen Eira Moorbn
Bree Wanke
Dandenong
Alys Young
Waverley
Coach: Peter Donohue, Keilor Park
Assistant Coaches: Corey Dimitrijevic, Sunshine; Lyn Clarkson Werribee; Lewis Weldon Keilor Park
Manager:
Statistician: Allison Pendlebury, Waverley
Sports Trainer: Jenny Miles Keilor Park
Open Men
David Butler
David Edwards
Joel Goodall
Shane Goodall
Ashley Hoe
Sam Kassianou
Geelong
Keilor Park
Casey
Casey
Geelong
Casey
Dean Leskie
Casey
George Psimaris Geelong
Glen Rigg
Knox
Mark Rigg
Knox
Ben Shay
Keilor Park
Ryan Shannahan Casey
Ryan Sinclair
Sam Trevethan
Jared Warwick
Lewis Weldon
Keilor Park
Casey
Werribee
Keilor Park
Coach: Nathan Gill, Keilor Park
Assistant Coach:Nigel Aitken Werribee
Manager: Bryan Edwards, Keilor Park
Statistician: Helen Edwards, Keilor Park
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 29
National Representatives
2015 ISF XIV WBSC Mens
Softball World Championship,
Saskatoon – June/July 2015
Aussie Steelers
Ryan Sinclair Keilor Park
Statistician
Helen Edwards Keilor Park
2015 Open Mens Australian Squad
Joel Goodall
Casey
Sam Kassianou Casey
Ryan Sinclair Keilor Park
2015 Under 19 Womens Team
CTI Aussie Pride
Reserve
Sarah Beales Knox
2014 ISF X Mens Junior World
Championships, Yukon – July 2014
Statistician
Jim Giles
Dandenong
2015 Under 17 Girls Squad
Natasha Holt Waverley
Mihikura Tuialii Nthn District
Piera Charles Waverley
Amelia Mercuri Waverley
Narisse Privitera
Waverley
2015 U19 Mens Squad
Jacob Cassar Casey
Adam Talarico Casey
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 30
Past Presidents & Secretaries
Presidents
Secretaries
1942-45
Irene BURROWES
1942-46
Betty TURNER
1946-47
Jack FRANKLIN
1947
Dorothy LUMSDEN
1948-54
Irene BURROWES
1948
Maria HEMSWORTH
1955
Esther DEASON
1949-52
Merle SHORT
1956
Glory BAIN
1953-57
Coral THOMSON
1957
Merle SHORT
1958-61
Merle SHORT
1958-61
Esther DEASON M.B.E.
1962
Barbara STAPLETON
1962
Barbara STAPLETON
1963-66
Merle SHORT
1963-70
Esther DEASON M.B.E.
1967-76
Lorraine CADMAN
1971-76
Midge NELSON B.E.M.
1977-80
Val ALLPRESS
1977-81
Vivienne TRIPLETT
1981-82
Glory BAIN
1982
Esther DEASON M.B.E.
1983
Paul GALE
1983-87
Aubrey KOTZ
1984
Margo KOSKELAINEN O.A.M.
1988-89
Ed CHATWIN
1985-89
Gail BOWEN
1990-1999
Bill GOBBART
1999-2000
Ron PILKINGTON
2000-2011
Bryan EDWARDS
2011-
Jenny HOLLIDAY
SOFTBALL VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2015
P a g e | 31
Partners & Sponsors
Our thanks go to the following supporters of Softball in Victoria
PO Box 2018, Fitzroy VIC 3065
www.victoria.softball.org.au