Softball Western Australia
State Sporting Organisation . Australia
Respect
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Integrity
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Unity
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Leadership
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Inclusiveness
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Respect 〰️ Integrity 〰️ Unity 〰️ Leadership 〰️ Inclusiveness 〰️
Softball Western Australia (Softball WA) is the governing body for the sport of Softball in Western Australia.
Softball in Western Australia first gathered interest in 1947 after an exhibition match with ex-US servicemen led to a competition being created, which expanded in 1948. The Western Australian Softball Association (now Softball WA) was formally established the following year in 1949. The six foundation clubs were the WA Women's Flying Club, American Club, Liberal League, Victoria Park, Wembley, and the National Catholic Girls Movement. The state was added to the Australian Women’s Softball Council in 1951 and was invited to compete at the 1951 National Championships.
My role at Softball WA was my first job within the sporting industry, in a sport in which I had no previous experience. I was extremely eager to put my theoretical skills that I was learning in my studies and my volunteer experience to use in a state sporting organisation. Softball WA was appealing as the sport had a steady declining participation trend, and I was eager to get to work at growing the game of Softball.
I started at Softball WA before Softball’s appearance at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, and used this momentum to rally the Softball community to work with my participation projects to elevate the awareness of Softball in the Western Australian community.
Softball WA Timeline
Participation and Development Officer
Part-Time - May 2021
Intro to Job and Starting
Started part-time employment at Softball WA. Softball WA is the State Governing Body for Softball in Western Australia. Our membership comprises Associations, Clubs, and individual members who play, officiate, and support Softball in WA.
In my role, I oversaw and led the portfolios of participation and development throughout the state of Western Australia.
August 2021
September 2021
October 2021
April 2022
May 2022
Tokyo 2020
I developed Softball WA’s participation and social media campaign for Softball’s first participation in the Olympics after a 13-year absence. This campaign included social media posts about WA’s two Olympic athletes, Leigh Godfrey and Leah Parry, and the promotion of our Olympic Live Site and Have a Go Day.
In addition, I had to follow the strict broadcasting and social media requirements of Channel 7 (Australian Olympic Broadcaster) to adhere to their contract requirements with the International Olympic Committee.
Website
Softball Australia and Member States had agreed to launch a new sport management, RevSport, which required the Softball WA website to be hosted with the RevSport platform. I was tasked with rebuilding the Softball WA website through the platform, and updating the previously out of date website to reflect the needs of a contemporary state sporting organisation.
Ngurra Kujungka - Martu Youth Festival
Softball WA and Ngurra Kajungka has had a strong relationship to deliver Softball activities to the Martu people. I traveled to Nullagine to participate in the Martu Youth Festival to coordinate and officiate the Softball Competition.
Pitching & Catching Clinics
A vital issue that was present in the development of West Australian Softball players was the lacking of pitching and catching quality outside of our state program. I organised a pitching & catching clinic hosted by State coaches and previous Australian representatives which were open to all.
The clinics went through the basics and training drills, which allowed coaches the ability to learn from the best on how they are developing our state players, which they could then bring back to their club to better develop their athletes.
State League
Previously, Softball WA had run their State League Competition which developed WA athletes to achieve their potential as Softball athletes. This competition had not been run in the past decade, and coincided with the decline of quality of the WA state program. The league was setup for the 2021 season, and provided the opportunity for WA players to develop with high-quality Softball. I was the commissioner of the 2021 State League competition.
Participation and Development Officer
Full Time - December 2021
Participation and Development Coordinator - Regional (PDC)
Through Government funding, Softball WA gained funding to hire a part-time employee to assist in delivering regional objectives of Softball WA. I was promoted to a full-time staff member, with the added requirement to manage and oversee the PDC staff member.
Junior Softball Championships
The Junior Softball Championships are the peak Under-18 Softball championships for clubs in Western Australia. I was responsible for delivering the championships for 30 teams over the March Long Weekend.
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Full Time - March 2022
Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
With the abrupt resignation of our CEO, I was named Acting CEO of Softball WA by the board, and tasked to lead the organisation and undertake critical upcoming projects of the CEO.
Healthway & Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) Funding Application
Softball WA is funded heavily by our major sponsors Healthway & DLGSCI. These government departments require lengthy evaluations and sponsorship applications for approval to gain funding. I undertook the applications for these organisation that would be attributed to funding for the next financial year, Healthway, and the next three financial years, DLGSCI.
The Australian Masters Games
The Australian Masters Games is a week-long festival of sport that brings together weekend warriors from around Australia, and the world, to enjoy an extensive sport and social program in an exciting holiday destination. Myself and my team delivered the first Australian Masters Games Softball Competition in Perth since 1995, with Softball being the most participated sport in the Masters Games catalogue.
Resignation
I resigned from Softball WA to relocate to Vancouver, Canada to travel and spend time with family while completing the remaining units of my Master of Business (Sport Management)
Participation and Development Officer
Role Requirements
Develop and implement a Participation and Development Plan in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer; aligned with the strategic objectives of both Softball WA and Softball Australia.
Coordinate key events and activities that promote participation and development (Social Competitions, Junior State Championships, training clinics and events);
Ensure the promotion and delivery of identified and endorsed Softball Australia and Softball WA participation and development (Social 7’s, Sporting Schools, Softball Batter-up, off-season academies, pre-season clinics) programs through effective leadership, organisation, coordination, collaboration and communication with key internal and external stakeholders.
Engage and implement activities that support low participation groups, including CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) and indigenous communities.
Manage a comprehensive and detailed database recording key statistics of participation activities.
Develop and promote an annual calendar of participation and development events and programs.
Assist the Chief Executive Officer develop and manage the annual budget for participation and development activities and monitor the delivery of activities within the constraints of the budget.
Liaise with Baseball and Tee-Ball, promoting diamond sports and delivering mutually beneficial participation and development opportunities.
Recruit and oversee personnel to deliver participation and development programs.
Ensure compliance with participation and development program sponsors and supporters.
Manage and oversee the Participation and Development Coordinator - Regional. This includes their budget, grant objectives and projects they undertake.
Additional Roles Undertaken
Monitoring the Facebook Pages, Instagram account and YouTube channel and offer constructive interaction with users.
Creation and design of the Softball WA website.
Creation of assets and posts for social media platforms.
Copywriting of news posts, formal memos, and notifications.
Commissioner of the reinvigorated State League Competition.
Participation and Development Projects
Membership Data
Ngurra Kujungka - Martu Youth Fesitval
Ngurra Kujungka Inc is the Western Desert’s first community driven regional sport and recreation organisation, awarded for tailored programs delivered to improve health, sport, recreation and employment outcomes for the people of the Western Desert.
Ngurra Kujungka is a not for profit, incorporated body directed by a board of Martu men and women members representing each remote Indigenous community of the Western Desert in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Council meets regularly to oversee the development of the organisation, voting on key decisions determining the programs and direction of Ngurra Kujungka.
The sport and recreation programs deliver many benefits to the Martu people throughout their communities, with health outcomes a key focus. A range of programs have been developed to increase physical activity, provide sporting career pathways, educational benefits and community engagement.
The annual Martu Youth Festival provides an opportunity for the Martu to showcase their sporting talent and to celebrate their music and culture. The Festival provides an important pathway opportunity for Martu youth through talent identification by elite sporting organisations and is an important major intercommunity occasion.
In August 2021 over 700 Martu adults and children attended the highly anticipated, four-day festival in Nullagine. Nine communities attended - Punmu, Kiwirrkurra, Parnngurr, Kunawarritji, Jigalong, Warralong, Strelley, Parnpajinya and Nullagine.
I traveled to Nullagine to participate in the Martu Youth Festival to coordinate and officiate the Softball Competition. I also provided coaching for the girls and provided feedback and knowledge around the game of Softball. During my time at the festival I was tasked to talent identify 22 Martu Women and Girls that would be identified for further pathways through Ngurra Kujungka. In addition, I worked with Ngurra Kujungka after the festival to train several Martu Women as Coaches for their respective communities through the Softball Australia coaching portal.
I was fortunate enough to be offered the chance to take part in this project that brought me into a remote Indigenous community, where I had the opportunity to meet and engage with the amazing Martu people. The experience was incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.
State League
The WA State League Softball Competition had laid dormant for the past decade. A competition that was key in generating Western Australian success at all national levels, and a development opportunity for WA players, was not being utilised. I aimed to create a sustainable competition that would be profitable for Softball WA, while looking to minimise costs of clubs to limit potential player fees, and allow for clubs to invest in national and international talent for future iterations of the league once COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.
For the inaugural season of the league we worked heavily with the clubs involved to create a ruleset a format that the clubs voted on. Clubs were allowed to have a voting representative at these meeting, and all decisions were made via a vote if there were disagreements. At the initial meeting, I was named commissioner of the league.
Branding
I undertook branding of the State League competition. I created a logo that includes a variety of Softball elements, and the use of the black swan, the symbol on our state flag. The colours used also reflect the colours worn by our state at National competitions.
Social Media
Social media was a key pillar to expand awareness and promote the league. I undertook the branding of the State League logo, that would be utilised for all promotion of the league. In addition, a seperate Facebook page was created streamline all State League content via a singular channel. Fixtures, results, and competition ladder graphics were created and posted throughout the season culminating in the page amassing 500 followers at the conclusion of the first season. Positive feedback was received from players, clubs, coaches, and the wider Softball community on the content that was posted and the awareness being created for Softball in Western Australia.
Western Flames & Western Blaze Logo Rebranding
The Western Flames and Western Blaze represent the peak Western Australian Softball Team. The team featured out dated designs that was not up to contemporary standards. I had presented to the Representative Teams Committee (RTC) my proposal for a redesign of the branding of the branding, to consolidate a similar branding structure across our two teams. In addition, the RTC is very stringent on the idea of protecting the WA State team brand. I had proposed the rebrand would allow the use of alternate logos on merchandise that would not be on the required playing uniform of our teams. This merchandise would then be sold as supporters merchandise, and the funds raised would go directly in supporting our state teams in the nationals championship levy.
There were several key deliverables that I wanted to incorporate with the rebrand:
A common logo that could be used to represent both teams (Flaming Softball)
Alternate Logo (F/B Insignia)
I created a basic design concept on Adobe Illustrator with my vision for the rebrand, and then contacted a sport graphic designer to finish the project.
Junior Softball Championships
The Junior Softball Championships (JSC) are the peak Under-18 Softball championships for clubs in Western Australia. I was responsible for the planning and running of the entire JSC. The 2022 edition of the JSC had teams travelling from as far as Port Hedland (1,650 Km , 1,025 Mi) to attend the championships. In addition, the 2022 JSC was held under constantly changing Covid-19 restrictions which provided an extreme challenge in planning for such an event, with also the need to provide a Covid Safe event for all participants.
Branding
I created a Junior Softball Championships logo that was used for all branding of the event. I incorporated our naming partner, Crunch & Sip, into the logo and utilised a colour palette that worked well with their logo.
Merchandise
For the first time, Softball WA sold unique merchandise for an event. I created a basic T-Shirt with the logo and date of the Championships that was available for purchase. The T-Shirts sold extremely well as it was a fantastic souvenir for our junior athletes and for many travelling Softball fans.
Promotion
Social media and email marketing campaigns were used to promote the event. In addition, campaigns were created for Softball WA affiliated associations to market to their members the competition. All graphic design assets were created by myself.
Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Role Requirements
Board Reporting Skills, Strategic Vision & Leadership
Provide high quality and timely advice to the SWA Chairperson and Board at all times.
Establish organisational culture and embody the values of the organisation.
Collaborate with the Board to implement the 2021-2024 strategic plan while ensuring that the budget, staff, and priorities aligned with the core purpose.
Provide leadership and direction to the team to ensure high performance, accountability & professional development of staff in their operational and administrative responsibilities.
In partnership with the Board, build a diverse and inclusive governing body, representative of the sport of Softball in WA that is highly engaged and willing to leverage their expertise and experience to achieve organisational goals.
Oversee the financial status of the organisation including developing long and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget and ensuring sound financial controls are in place.
Drive cost saving initiatives or agreements to support the growth and sustainability of the organisation and community.
Communications, Relationship Building & Public Relations
Provide leadership and direction to clubs, athletes, coaches, and officials and creating a service-oriented culture from Softball WA to enable the delivery of Softball across Member Associations.
Deepen and refine all aspects of communications, from online presence to external relations with the goal of maintaining a high-profile brand and value proposition.
Develop and maintain effective relationships with key agencies, members, and important stakeholders.
Act as the figurehead and public advocate for the industry.
Lead the development of the strategic and business plans, utilising market intelligence and trends.
Build partnerships in new markets, establishing relationships with relevant partners in order to expand the reach and influence of the organisation and drive revenue growth.
Event Development, Planning & New Initiatives
Lead the development and execution of the strategic and business plans, utilising market intelligence and trends.
Grow revenue streams through building comprehensive marketing, branding and development strategies and campaigns.
Build partnerships in new markets, establishing relationships with relevant partners to expand the reach and influence of the organisation and drive revenue growth.
Growth in Softball Participation
Identify and implement strategies to assist retain existing & recruit new participants in softball
Implement new competition formats to attract new audiences to Softball
Implement strategies that grow the profile of Softball in WA.
Assist member associations to grow participation and have more viable businesses.
Strengthening Infrastructure, Governance & Operations
Ensure the delivery of high-quality services while managing for future growth and sustainability.
Growing participation in a sustainable way, through the delivery of well-run competitions.
Supporting improvement in event delivery with an appropriate calendar of events across the State.
Ensure appropriate governance and policies are in place that are regularly reviewed and improved.
Effective management and mitigation of strategic, operational, financial, legal, reputational, and regulatory risks across the organisation.
Support, coach and motivate the team to empower and enable them to achieve organisational goals and reach their potential.
Oversee the financial status of the organisation including developing long and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget and ensuring sound financial controls are in place.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Projects
Major Sponsor Funding Application
The key priority when starting my role as acting chief executive officer was the urgent need to apply and renew sponsorship agreements with our major sponsors. These sponsorship agreements are critical in Softball WA achieving its strategic objectives.
Healthway
Healthway is a government health promotion agency dedicated to improving the health of all Western Australians. Healthway are passionate about local community initiatives, programs, research, and partnerships that empower the community to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Healthway work in partnership with sports, arts, racing, and community event organisations, as well as health and research organisations to create a healthier WA. Through Healthway’s work spanning 30 years, they have funded more than 5,600 organisations to the value of more than $470 million.
I was require to fill out multiple sponsorship proposals regarding the projects Softball WA was applying for through Healthway grants. In these propsals I included:
A detailed description of the proposed project, including its goals, objectives, and expected outcomes.
A budget outlining the costs associated with the project, including expenses such as equipment, travel, and personnel.
A timeline for the project, including milestones and deadlines.
Data, statistics or research that supports the need and potential impact of the project.
A plan for evaluating the success of the project and measuring its impact.
Letters of support from relevant stakeholders, such as associations who would collaborate to deliver the project.
An explanation of how the grant will be used and how it will help the organization or individual to achieve its goals.
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC)
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) in Western Australia is a government agency that is responsible for overseeing and supporting local government, sport and cultural industries within the state. Facilitating and funding the development of sport and recreation facilities and programs
The DLGSC also provides funding and support to various organizations and groups that contribute to the development of local communities, sport and cultural industries in Western Australia. Additionally, the DLGSC also functions as a regulatory agency, it ensures that all the local government, sport and cultural industries are in compliance with state laws and regulations.
The DLGSC funding required an in-depth analysis of the sport of Softball in Western Australia that would be used to assess the funding level Softball WA would be placed in for the next three financial years. This assessment is critical as a poor assessment could result in Softball WA receiving substantially less Government funding over the next three-year period, resulting in a recalibration of the sports financial and strategic ability.
The funding assessment required an evaluation of the demographic makeup of the Western Australian Softball membership, a review of the governance of the entire organisation, financial health and asset assessment, a review of upcoming Softball Australia programs being delivered in Western Australia, and trends within Western Australian Softball.
Australian Masters Games
The Australian Masters Games is a week-long festival of sport that brings together weekend warriors from around Australia, and the world, to enjoy an extensive sport and social program in an exciting holiday destination. Myself and my team delivered the first Australian Masters Games Softball Competition in Perth since 1995, with Softball being the most participated sport in the Masters Games catalogue. I was a sport convenor for Softball at the Australian Masters Games.
The Event
Softball was played at our headquarters, in Mirrabooka, for all 7-days of the Australian Masters Games in which our 4 main diamonds and 4 diamonds at an adjacent field were filled with players and supporters. Softball WA provided food and beverages for all from the first game at 8AM to the final pitch at 10pm. Working with the rest of the Softball WA staff, our team delivered 7 fantastically ran days of Softball.
The Australian Masters Game was a success and it was extremely rewarding to hear the feedback from all participants throughout Australia. I was privileged to be the masters of ceremonies for the presentation of medals to athletes.
