2012 Annual Report - Softball Australia

Chairman’s Report
Chairman’s Report
The highlight of the year was our national teams' performances on the international
stage. Congratulations to Kere Johanson and the Australian Open Women’s Team,
Aussie Spirit, on finishing 3 rd and 4 th respectively at the Canadian Open International
Women’s Fastpitch and the World Cup of Softball VI in the USA. Supported by a 4 th
place from the Australian U19 Women’s Team, Aussie Pride, in the IX ISF Junior
Women’s World Championships in South Africa, it makes future successes on the world
stage look very promising for our women's program. Australia maintains its place as the
World’s Number 1 Softball nation, due to the success of the Australia Open Men’s
Team, Aussie Steelers and the Australian U19 Men’s Team, Aussie Colts. With
international achievements in mind, we also recognise three outstanding individual
contributors, Bob Harrow, Peta Edebone and Paul Maisey, who were inducted into the
ISF Hall of Fame for their outstanding performances in the elite realms of Softball.
Operationally, the past year for Softball Australia has been challenging. We saw the resignation of our CEO, Sue Noble,
after 3½ years of service to Softball Australia, the departure of Julie Anderson, Manager High Performance Pathways and
Matt Cairns, Business Development Manager. There was also the resignation of two Board members, Ashley Klein and
Vicki Lahey. We thank them for their contribution.
Financially also, Softball Australia has experienced its most demanding year. Two world championships to attend in the
one year along with staff changes resulted in a significant financial loss. While a sizeable operating loss was budgeted
due to the timing of the new world championship calendar, the magnitude was greater than anticipated due to many
unforseen events and circumstances faced. Having now put all of these issues behind us, we can look forward to a
brighter future for Softball as we continue to address the many legacies, and restructure the organisation for improved
outputs whilst aligning to stakeholders’ needs and minimising operational costs.
The Governance Committee has met bi-monthly over the past 12 months to review Softball Australia’s policies,
guidelines and regulations, as well as confer on governance matters raised by the Softball Australia Board. This year has
been particularly productive for this Committee with the revision of administrative and governance policies and the
review of existing documents. All documents were made available as a resource tool for use and adoption by Softball
Australia and Member States. By the conclusion of 2012 we anticipate the completion of a revised eCommunications
Policy and Risk Management Policy and operating documents will also be reviewed. A refined Membership Policy will
be developed to reflect the recommendations of the comprehensive membership review, including new membership
categories. Work continues to align Member States Constitutions, purposes and objectives with Softball Australia. In
addition, the Softball Australia Ambassador program continues to provide support for Member State Boards as required
and a direct line of communication between a Softball Australia Director and State President.
Internationally, significant steps have been made for the inclusion of women's Softball back onto the Olympic Games
program. At the XXV World Congress in 2011, the ISF committed to a strategy of a joint bid with Baseball in an attempt
to regain admission into the 2020 Olympics. The position of the Softball Australia Board and other ISF members,
supported by feedback received from IOC members, was that Softball had an improved chance of inclusion with a joint
bid with Baseball, rather than standing alone. The ISF Congress overwhelmingly voted to pursue this strategy and a
Working Party was established to progress this direction.
Albeit slowly, the framework is being prepared for a joint legal identity internationally and targeted strategy developed
for presentation and formal consideration at a World Softball Special Congress scheduled for October 2013. Softball,
together in a joint bid with Baseball, is one of seven sports bidding for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics, the decision to
SOFTBALL AUSTRALIA ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Page | 3