We are almost 12 months in to our 2016-2018 Emeralds program aiming to provide ongoing player and coach 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
In the last 12 months we have run the hugely successful first Futures program, the 2016 All Star Game, Diamonds in the Rough, a High Performance Camp in Japan, and most recently created an Emeralds Pitching Squad.
Following our review of the 2017 Futures program we are running the program again for 2018.
The benefits of the program as identified by participants included:
· Insight into the “inner workings” of the Emeralds
· Opportunity to interact with and receive feedback from current Emeralds players through mentoring (and the ongoing relationships that have been built)
· Access to sport specific nutritional and fitness information
· Being opened up to the mental side of baseball
· Gaining knowledge that wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to
With more than 70 participants in 2017, the feedback was outstanding with participants noting their highlights as:
· Mentors
· Tasks (and feedback)
· Group chat
· Allocating groups based on position
· General resources/articles and tips
· Team App for communication
· Advice and support
While 2017 was open to all applicants, the 2018 program will be a selection process, based on responses to the application, and a focus on players who are eligible for 2018 and 2020 World Cups. This will make the program more manageable administratively and ensure participants get the most out of the program. Similar to last year participants will be expected to commit to undertaking tasks, participating in chat forums and responding to questions within set time frames.
Applications are invited by clicking on the link below, and expressions of interest will close on 30 November 2017, with the program to kick off mid December.