G'day everyone,

After three weeks in the job, it's been great to listen and learn from so many of our passionate softball stakeholders and community about the challenges and opportunities in the sport.

I've enjoyed hearing about the stories from lifelong softballers who used to play, continue to play or are returning to the sport.  As part of my visit around the country, commencing with the ACT last week, I thoroughly enjoyed watching and chatting to players, parents and volunteers about why they love the sport. I was super impressed by the facility at the Hawker International Softball Centre and the work of our One Softball team as they grow the sport and encourage the next generation to take up the sport. By working together we'll ensure that Softball has a bright future ahead.

While in the ACT I stayed at the Australian Institute of Sport and met Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieran Perkins to talk all things grassroots participation, coaching and volunteerism as the key challenges and opportunities to grow softball across the country. It was wonderful to hear his commitment to grassroots sports.

In this first phase my focus is on meeting with our stakeholders and members in different states around the country. I'll be listening and learning from state board and team members, and finally our hard-working volunteers at the coalface.

We’ve got a lot to look forward to over the next few months, from the celebration of a new summer season at our local softball clubs to our national representative teams tackling World Cup qualifiers, groups stages and finals, and of course the 2024 National Championships!

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming months.

Sarah Loh
Chief Executive Officer
Softball Australia