It’s an exciting time for thirty-two junior players who have been selected to represent Australia at the 2023 Canada Cup invitational tournament.  

This year we are entering a team into each of the Showcase U-17 Gold and Futures U-19 Gold divisions to provide international competition for a larger number of players coming through the high-performance pathway.  

The players in these teams are part of the Softball Australia Talent Development Squad and were selected based on strong performance and potential as demonstrated at the 2023 National Championships and the ‘Futures’ camp held at Australian Institute of Sport last month. 

“International competition is one of the key ingredients for the development of Aussie Spirit players of the future,” said National Pathways Manager, Clare Humberstone. “It gives players a chance to learn from their opponents, teammates and coaches, and to enjoy the challenge of playing against the best in the world. The Canada Cup is a world-class tournament and offers excellent developmental experience for our young players.”  

A key focus for Softball Australia is nurturing the development of battery coaches, and two excellent battery coaches have been appointed to support the Australia U-17 and U-19 teams; Lyneene Orsini and Brooke Penfold, respectively.  

Karyn Dale, another coach with battery expertise, has been added to the Australia U-19 team as assistant coach to replace Mark Armstrong who unfortunately had to withdraw due to personal circumstances.   

For all of those selected there are an equal number of athletes left disappointed by non-selection. Softball Australia will be supporting all players in the Talent Development Squad with high level training opportunities through the state-based Performance Training Centres, and a series of online educational sessions over the coming months. 

Canada Cup Tour: Australia U-19 Team

Australia U-19 Team Officials

Canada Cup Tour: Australia U-17 Team

Canada Cup Tour: Australia U-17 Team Officials