The 2016-2018 Emeralds program is planned to provide ongoing high performance and pathway development opportunities designed to provide the greatest number of Australian female baseballers with this best opportunities to reach their peak performance.
The intended outcomes of this program include:
· Greater player depth at elite and sub-elite level
· Improved standard of games at national, state and club level
· Multiple opportunities for coaches to observe player performance against quality opposition
· Exceed previous best performance at World Cups
· Quality engaged coaching and support staff for the Emeralds
· Consistent philosophy throughout the women’s program
· Quality communication and messaging of program progress and outcomes
The program will be made up of two components, player pathway and development and coach pathway and development. While a major outcome will be increase of quality and quantity of female coaches, the program will provide opportunities to anyone willing to commit to the program, male or female.
Player program
Over the next two years there will be multiple opportunities for players of any age to participate in development programs and be observed by national team and high performance coaching staff. Not all players will be able to participate in all activities, some will be targeted, some will be open to all, some subsidised and others self-funded. No single event will be compulsory, however attendance at the maximum number of events will provide the best opportunity for personal development, showcasing skills, and selection in the 2018 Emeralds World Cup team.
One of the key processes of the program will be selection of the World Cup team. There will be no single event where the team will be selected, the selection will be based on prolonged work ethic, commitment to the program and performance in games.
Squad selection
There will be four phases to team selection.
1. An Emeralds Futures squad selected in December 2016
2. A 2017 squad selected in April 2017
3. A 2018 squad selected in April 2018
4. Final team selection approximately June 2018
Emeralds Futures
The Emeralds Futures squad will be open for application to any female athlete who has never been an Emerald. Selection will take into consideration answers to a questionnaire, discussions with state, club and connected coaches, state body high performance staff to identify athletes the potential skills and abilities that could lead them to make a national team.
Future Emeralds squad members will then be supported and monitored from December 2016 to April 2017.
2017 Emeralds Squad
A 2017 Emeralds development squad will be announced at the end of April 2017, consisting of both past and potential Emeralds, not solely for 2018 selection. Members of this squad will be invited to a two week, self-funded intensive development program in Japan during July 2017. Participation in this squad will require a commitment to fitness, training and two-way communication with the coaching staff.
2018 Emeralds Squad
A 2017 Emeralds squad will be announced mid April 2018. The members of this squad may or may not have been part of previous squads. The 2018 World Cup team will selected from this squad.
Coach Development
There are currently few options available for coach development along the women’s pathway. In order to develop more female coaches and more coaches interested in the women’s game, there will be an opportunity for coaches to be part of the Emeralds program over the next two years. A group of Emerald Program Coaches will be selected to engage with the program.
The Program Coaches will be offered (self-funded) opportunities to participate at Emerald squad events, network and communicate with other coaches and be offered various forms of coach education. They will be able to work with the high performance programs in each state, and be tasked with monitoring players and providing feedback to Head Coach.
The aim will also be to have a group of Mentor Coaches providing support and feedback to the Program Coaches.
The value to the Emeralds program will be two-fold. Not only will current and future coaches be provided with opportunities to develop, they will be engaged and part of the philosophy and culture of the program.
The aim will be to select the 2018 staff from amongst the Program and Mentor group, with staff being announced in April 2018 along with the final 2018 Emeralds Squad.
Click here to download the Player Development Program Application.
Click here to download the Coach Development Program Application.
Applications for the Player/Coach Development Program must be emailed to narellegosstray@gmail.com, and close at 5pm AEST on Monday 5 December.