Softball Australia has welcomed the release of the Sport: Powering Australia’s Future (10+10) submission by Australia’s Olympic and Commonwealth Games sports which details a significant national long-term vision of how sport can help power Australia’s future.

Sport: Powering Australia’s Future (10+10) is a joint submission by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) in collaboration with their member sports to the Federal Government’s 2021 Intergenerational Report (IGR). The submission is not simply an ask for funding, but a strategy to reframe the relationship between sport and government for the benefit of the country 

The Chief Executive Officer of Softball Australia, David Pryles, said the 10+10 submission presents detailed major recommendations for a new path forward for the Sports industry and government.

“The 10+10 submission provides a plan for the next decade, and beyond, for how sports like softball can assist Commonwealth, state and territory governments in addressing the intergenerational challenges of achieving Australia’s aspiration of a healthier, more active population, for all Australians, in all communities,” said Pryles.

“This is particularly crucial to softball with the sports omission from the Paris 2024 Games, and likely inclusion in LA 2028.”

Softball Australia fully supports the submission’s key recommendations to develop an appropriately funded implementation plan for Sport 2030, and a future investment framework with a minimum of four-year certainty of allocations to sports like softball based on sports presenting and being accountable for their business plan.

“Softball also supports the need for a National Sport Event Strategy in collaboration with AOC and CGA, for major sporting events to ensure benefits and legacy are maximised, and inclusion of the Sports Industry in policy development,” added Pryles.

“Again, crucial in our goal to be competing in the LA Games, backed up with a home Games in Brisbane 2032.”

By addressing the key barriers preventing the Sports Industry from delivering, the submission sets out how sport can tackle Australia’s intergenerational challenges against very similar metrics to the ‘3Ps’ - Population, Participation and Productivity growth - that have framed IGRs for the past 20 years. This is how sport will deliver Australia’s aspiration of a healthier, smarter, more active population, for all Australians, in all communities.

The CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee, Matt Carroll AM, said: “With the awarding of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Brisbane, Australia has been given a gift of a generation. Through the power of sport, the Games will drive a 10-year runway of opportunity to 2032 and underpin a 10-year legacy post the Games for the next generation of Australians, 10+10. To achieve this requires investment by sport, government, the tertiary education sector and corporate Australia. 

“Sport is good for our nation’s collective health, in addressing the nation’s obesity crisis, chronic diseases, mental health and personal development. Sport strengthens our communities and contributes to Australia’s economy. Sporting excellence builds national pride, motivation and inspires us all. The Australian athletes at the Tokyo Games, are leading by example, demonstrating that achievement requires resilience, commitment and hard work.”

The CEO of Commonwealth Games Australia, Craig Phillips AM, said: “The 10+10 submission is not about money for winning medals. It is about how the power of sport can be better resourced and deployed to serve the needs of the community over the long term. 

“Sports Industry infrastructure includes grass roots facilities used for participation, right through to world leading high performance and major event facilities. At a grass roots level, sporting infrastructure can provide a foundation from which to build prosperous communities, improving the liveability of Australian cities and regions, connecting people from different backgrounds around common objectives, supporting employment and the economy. This is the ‘virtuous circle’ that links grassroots sport and pathway development through to elite performance. It is all interconnected in the best interests of the nation.”

The full submission can be read here