The Under-14 camp tour passed the halfway mark of the 2023 calendar after a visit to South Australia over the weekend, with an exceptional cast of coaches and players on hand to inspire our kids.

So far, the camp tour has seen a great take-up of athletes across three states, where coaches and staff have been impressed with the talent on display.

The camps were developed to give Softball Australia a view on the quality and quantity of talented players at the Under-14 level across the country while also providing a moment-in-time-view of the physical, technical and resilience capabilities of the players attending.

The adjusted approach has helped reduce the financial burden on our budding athletes and their families, while enabling some of the best coaches in the country in being able to work with budding future Olympians and Champions, in a focused environment.

The coaching team is led by Laing Harrow and supported so far by Mark Armstrong, Jayke Reynolds and Leigh Godfrey, with Aussie Spirit physio, Kathy Mitchell, leading the delivery of physio, prehab and rehab curriculum. 

We have also had Australian players Marshall Kronk, Julian Jemmott and Kaia Parnaby, with more players and coaches slated to be involved over the next few weeks.

Softball Australia’s CEO, Rosie Williams OBE, feels the camps have offered a great opportunity to young softballers, with plenty to learn.

“We are working with the players to get a point-in-time-view of where they are up to, doing some simple testing, lots of skill-based softball work and helping them learn to own their performance, both on and off the field.

“It is really important for young people who want to make it in high performance sport, to learn early in their journey to take responsibility for themselves. From on-field decision making to ensuring they have the right equipment to taking responsibility for their own hydration and sunscreen.” 

Next weekend, the Softball Australia Under-14 camp tour heads to New South Wales, and then on to Western Australia for the final camp. 

After the completion of the Under-14 camps, a group of players will be invited to attend the Auckland Easter Classic, where we will enter two teams from both genders who will train and travel together as a group.