The Baseball Northern Territory Incorporated (Baseball NT) Annual General Meeting (AGM) was hosted by Baseball Australia (BA), and chaired by BA Chief Executive Officer Cam Vale, at the Novotel Darwin CBD at 7pm local Darwin time on 26 November 2018.
A great turn out was received with multiple members of the wider baseball community in attendance showing their support and interest in the future of baseball in the Northern Territory.
The new Constitution, revised by BA, the Northern Territory Government and the Regional Associations of Darwin and Alice Springs, was ratified on the night allowing for a fresh, new start for Baseball NT.
The new Constitution (version last reviewed on 4 September 2018) has been uploaded to http://nt.baseball.com.au/ and a direct link can be found here.
The new Constitution has provided the opportunity for a new Board structure and for new Directors bringing with them valuable experience and skills covering key portfolio areas such as finance management, governance, law, and business development, that combine to give Baseball NT a clean slate and the best chance for a successful future.
Dedicated to growing the game, both Lachlan Modrzynski, President of Alice Springs Baseball Association, and Rodney Hardy, President of Darwin Baseball Association, accepted re-election as Directors of the two representative Regional Associations of the Affiliated Members.
Expressions of Interest to fill the 3 appointed Director vacancies of the Board were publicly advertised online on 2 October 2018 with 7 high-calibre candidates applying.
After consideration of all applications, the quality of the candidates and the contributions they could make, the recommended preferences: Mark Stead of Sydney; Gemma Scales of Darwin; and Josh Ang of Darwin; were successfully appointed as Directors at the AGM completing the final 3 vacancies of the Baseball NT Board.
On making the right choices from the start, BA’s CEO Cam Vale commented.
"The election of the new board members for Baseball NT is an important step in ensuring an independent and well governed Association is in place”
“I am particularly pleased with the diverse experience of the board members and their willingness to take on the responsibility.”
“It was also great to see such a strong representation from the clubs at the meeting to ensure that they are now properly represented into the future."
BA and the Board of Baseball NT would like to thank the baseball community, and particularly the NT Government, for their continued support and ongoing assistance over the last 12 months. It has been a difficult time for all parties involved but the cooperation and commitment from everyone has enabled a smoother-than-expected transition to the revised Baseball NT.
The Board are excited to take on this challenge and ready to hit the ground running. The next step for the new look Board of Baseball NT, after appointing a Chairperson, is to engage with local stakeholders and local baseball associations to re-group, re-align and re-focus on what is happening, what is driving the baseball community, and how they can turn this around to create a positive pathway for substantial growth in the near future.
Cam Vale is excited about the future of Baseball NT remarking “Baseball can be a strong growing sport in the NT, with opportunities from grassroots to a possible ABL team into the future”.