The role of a team manager is often forgotten across sport, but they are the heart of the team, and their support is integral to helping our athletes give their best on the world stage. 

Chrissy Clough has been managing softball teams across Australia for many years and started her international career managing the Japanese women’s team in 2000 in a lead-up event to the Sydney Olympics. Clough moved into managing some of our Australia age-grade teams before taking on the Aussie Spirit team manager role in 2011 for the World Cup in Oklahoma and the Canada Cup. She has travelled with teams all across the world including Japan, USA, Canada, Italy, and most recently the Czech Republic and then to her final event in Ireland where she proudly watched the team qualify for the World Cup Finals next year. 

Chrissy has led the way in setting a standard of kindness and care for our players while also driving a positive and determined team culture. She has done laundry in some unusual places, spent countless hours in airports and hospital waiting rooms and has done it all with an unflappable smile. 

Softball Australia CEO Rosie Williams OBE expressed her gratitude, saying "Chrissy has spent many a sleepless night ensuring that the players and the staff have what they need to perform. Her contribution has been incredible to Softball in Australia, and we can only thank her for all her efforts. I am pleased that she has agreed to still play a role in some of our camps and events but has decided that it is time for someone new to take the team forward. 

We will look to recruit Chrissy’s replacement over the coming months."