Tony Schibeci and Kay Ferguson are stepping down from their roles as president and secretary of Twins Baseball Charter following many years of service, which included the successful merger of the Northern Diamondbacks and Western Mets to create the Twins in 2015.
As president of the Diamondbacks and Twins charter for six years, Schibeci says it has been an honour to serve young players and baseball clubs as the sport grows across the western and northern suburbs.
“The highlight of my time as President of the Twins has been watching so many young baseballers get the opportunity to represent their charter at the highest level at national championships,” Schibeci said. “Winning our first state title under the Twins by our Senior League at Geelong was amazing.”
“Also, watching the number of charter players who just love to wear their Twins gear at their local clubs while the seniors are playing is fantastic to see. Everyone who puts on the black and orange Twins colours is very proud to do so and it’s nice to know that all the work we did to get the Twins up and running has been worth it.”
Schibeci acknowledges that it was never going to be easy to merge the Northern Diamondbacks and the Western Mets, and the first few years proved challenging. The charter committee had to navigate distances between clubs and varying preferences on game times, locations, and charter boundaries, but persistence prevailed as the charter grew in numbers and strength.
“I'm really happy that we leave the charter in a very happy place,” Schibeci said. “Our JL team won the silver medal at nationals this year while our other teams have shown that they are extremely competitive against some of the great charters in Australia. I can only hope that the administrators who take control of this charter in the future continue to work hard with the clubs to ensure they are fully on board with the charter activities and provide kids the chance to play with the best players and be coached by the best coaches.”
Schibeci wants Twins players to be given every opportunity to show their amazing talents on the highest stage, and outgoing secretary Kay Ferguson agrees. Together they acknowledge all the behind-the-scenes support from the rest of the committee, including tournament coordinator Kirsty Davis and treasurer Gaele Kirk, as well as club representatives and parents.
“There are fantastic people in all our charters and I have learned a lot about baseball, committees, clubs, and just how to work and address issues with a range of different people and perspectives,” Ferguson said. “These connections were also a great help in my role as the junior coordinator at Essendon.”
“At our first meeting I think we were all there firstly as a club person and secondly as either a Northern Diamondbacks or Western Mets person, and so the emergence of the Twins Charter has been challenging along the way but also extremely exciting as we learned to trust each other and work together for a common goal. This merger was absolutely necessary and has definitely supported the growth of baseball and development of players across our charter.”
Ferguson also highlights the introduction of Intermediate League over the last two seasons and looks forward to seeing the charter competitions grow further.
“Our charter is certainly much stronger than when we started thanks to the hard work of a lot of people,” Ferguson added. “Like Tony, I am proud to be leaving the charter in this position and look forward to seeing the charter continue its development.”
The pair’s last duties as president and secretary will be to schedule and chair the Twins Formation meeting for the 2021/22 season and hand over to the new office bearers.