Softball Australia is thrilled to announce the appointment of Leigh Godfrey as the Head Coach for the National U-19 Women’s program. 

Godfrey is renowned for her distinguished playing career that includes a Bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 2007, competing in five Senior World Championships, including Bronze honours in 2012 & 2014 and representation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Since retiring as an athlete in 2021, Godfrey has engaged in coaching roles at both club and state levels, while contributing to the Softball Australia national teams program, seamlessly transitioning into life as a coach.  

A successful inaugural member of the AIS National Generation 2032 Coach Program that was launched in 2022, the program for aspiring and early-career high-performance coaches focused on refining coaching methodologies, advancing interpersonal and leadership skills, and cultivating a profound understanding of athlete development. Godfrey put these skills into practice as lead of the WA Performance Training Centre program, a collaborative initiative between Softball Australia and Softball WA, fostering the development of WA-based players in the national women’s squads. Her coaching prowess was further evident as the Head Coach for the Australia U-19 Women’s team at the Canada Cup earlier this year, creating a challenging and positive development environment for the players on the tour. 

Expressing excitement about the opportunity, Godfrey stated, “I'm really excited for the upcoming challenge of managing the U-19 Program. To be able to give back and assist this age group excel both on and off the softball diamond is something I'm extremely passionate about. I'm looking forward to working with players and coaches around the country to develop our next generation of softball athletes". 

National Pathways Manager, Clare Humberstone, expressed confidence in Godfrey’s ability to elevate the U-19 Women’s program, “We are currently building the U19 women’s program, but rest-assured it is going to be a world class athlete development program. As Head Coach, Leigh will bring innovation, inspiration, and skilled coaching to the program. Through her recent coaching roles supporting players in the national program, we’ve seen that she is an excellent leader with a capability to accelerate the development of players in this age group.” 

The U-19 women’s program represents an evolution of the Junior Spirit program, extending support to Australia’s most promising 16- to 18-year-old female players by an additional year. Operating as a year-round development program, offering comprehensive support for both athletic and personal development. The program will include multiple training camps, international competitions, and year-round guidance from Godfrey and a team of national program coaches and support staff.   

Humberstone emphasised the program’s ultimate goal: “To support the development of players to transition into the Aussie Spirit program. We will support them as players and people to allow them to graduate into the senior ranks of softball competition ready for what comes to them in the next stage of life and competition.”