Baseball Victoria today announced the Working Group’s successful candidates, who will unite to help meet Baseball Victoria’s main goal to gain, train and retain players.
Baseball Victoria board member and former Olympian Sonia Heath will chair the new group. Joining her is General Manager of VicSport, Meghan Albert, Baseball Victoria Participation and Women’s Program Officer Bronwyn Gell, Secretary of Melbourne Baseball Club, Alicia Pentreath, President of Footscray Baseball Club Lynn Fraser, former Victorian Youth Women’s Team assistant coach Paul Hung and former Victorian baseball representative Victoria Brown.
The group will work to identify and address the issues in women and girls baseball and develop a clear pathway for Victoria’s female participants to play, administer, umpire and coach in all aspects of Baseball in Victoria.
“I’m thrilled with be working with such a great team to help drive female participation in baseball,” Chair of the Group Sonia Heath said.
Baseball Victoria General Manager Ashley Blair said Baseball Victoria was delighted to have secured the quality of people it has to participate in this working group.
“Each member brings their own unique areas of experience and expertise that will enhance the important role this group will play in formulating how Baseball Victoria and its members can address the issues in women’s and girls’ baseball,” he said.
President of Baseball Victoria Myles Foreman said;
“Baseball Victoria’s role as the peak body for the sport of Baseball in Victoria is to lead strategy and the implementation of programs and services which result in gaining, training and retaining participants across Victoria all year round.
One of the strategies being implemented by Baseball Victoria is the formation of Working Groups which provide a structured opportunity under terms of reference to address specific objectives while ensuring actions taken by Baseball Victoria are integrated and linked to the common goals of gain, train and retain.
Consistent with this strategy earlier this year the Board resolved to form a Women and Girls Working Group to bring focus and structure to the growth of Women and Girls participation. The appointment of Bronwyn Gell as Participation and Women’s Program Officer formed part of this overall strategy. This focus has resulted in Baseball Victoria launching the Girls team competition at the recent Little League tournament and the Women’s and Girls Baseball Academy.
With strategic focus through the structure and calibre of the Working Group’s members as well as focused operational support within the Baseball Victoria office our sport is well positioned. Baseball Victoria will continue to work with the Victorian baseball community to build upon the strong foundations which have been laid over the last 12 months to implement change and deliver programs and focus which gain, train and retain”.
President of Baseball Victoria Myles Foreman said;
“Baseball Victoria’s role as the peak body for the sport of Baseball in Victoria is to lead strategy and the implementation of programs and services which result in gaining, training and retaining participants across Victoria all year round.
One of the strategies being implemented by Baseball Victoria is the formation of Working Groups which provide a structured opportunity under terms of reference to address specific objectives while ensuring actions taken by Baseball Victoria are integrated and linked to the common goals of gain, train and retain.
Consistent with this strategy earlier this year the Board resolved to form a Women and Girls Working Group to bring focus and structure to the growth of Women and Girls participation. The appointment of Bronwyn Gell as Participation and Women’s Program Officer formed part of this overall strategy. This focus has resulted in Baseball Victoria launching the Girls team competition at the recent Little League tournament and the Women’s and Girls Baseball Academy.
With strategic focus through the structure and calibre of the Working Group’s members as well as focused operational support within the Baseball Victoria office our sport is well positioned. Baseball Victoria will continue to work with the Victorian baseball community to build upon the strong foundations which have been laid over the last 12 months to implement change and deliver programs and focus which gain, train and retain”.
Please see below for full biographies of all members of the working group:
Sonia Heath; Chair
Sonia is a Board of Baseball Victoria Member with the inclusion portfolio. Sonia brings a unique blend of sporting and career experience that combines Olympic representation honours with senior leadership roles in media, government, and the not-for-profit sector. A communications professional with almost 20 years industry knowledge, Sonia has worked as a television journalist, radio journalist, and political media adviser. She is currently a Senior Communications Manager in the Victorian Government. Sonia is also a Beijing Olympian and world rowing champion who started through the club system at 21 years of age. As an Australian representative rower, she has a natural affinity for elite sports, including baseball, and she believes strongly in fostering inclusion, particularly at the grass roots level. She has previously served as a Director on the Board of Deaf Sports Australia during which time she worked strategically on improving inclusion and promotion of deaf athletes.
Meghan Albert;
Meghan comes with a strong background in sports administration including experience with governance, HR and policy development. Most recently Meghan was the Operations and HR Manager at Bowls Australia. Meghan’s career in Bowls saw her progress through several roles over the past 8 years. Meghan is now the General Manager of Vicsport where her main responsibilities include maintaining Vicsport’s close relationship with members, funding partners, state government and other stakeholders.
Bronwyn Gell;
Bronwyn brings a strong background in baseball including experience with grass roots, participation, inclusion, high performance, and administration. Bronwyn has represented Australia at the 2010, 2012, and 2014 Women’s Baseball World Cup and is a 9 time Victorian Women’s Baseball Team representative. Bronwyn was recently appointed as the Participation and Women’s Program Officer here at Baseball Victoria and takes pride in the development of the sport especially in the area of inclusion.
Alicia Pentreath;
Alicia is the Secretary of Melbourne Baseball Club and the coach of their Division 3 Women’s Team. Alicia brings to the group some fresh ideas and experience in coordination’s and communications through her role in school sport coaching and as a Volunteer and Communications Coordinator. Alicia is excited about the opportunity in making a real difference in the sustainability and development of women’s baseball in Victoria.
Lynn Fraser;
Lynn is the President of Footscray Baseball Club and has a wealth of experience in baseball as a player, coach, scorer, umpire and administrator, being involved in women’s baseball since it established in 1994/5. Through the years Lynn has taken action to attempt to implement strategies for a more even competition and for more participation at all levels; she was a Spokesperson for the women’s program, she was a coach at the first Girls Charter State Championships, she is the current president of a Baseball Club which strongly supports women’s baseball, and Lynn established the History of Women's Baseball in Victoria facebook page which educates and creates awareness of current and past actions. It is evident that Lynn is very passionate about women’s participation in Victoria and she will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Paul Hung;
Paul is associated with both Preston and Watsonia Baseball Club, and brings to the group a broad experience in baseball and management. Paul is very passionate about the development of women’s baseball and grass roots. Paul was the 2016 Victorian Youth Women’s Team assistant coach and was one of the coaches at the very first Girls Charter State Championships. It is of great credit to Paul and head coach, Robert Gell, that Victoria entered a Youth Women’s team at the 2016 National Championships, after not representing since 2013. Paul offers experience in planning, designing, specifying, installing, modifying and maintaining plant facilities, systems and equipment as the Plant Engineer at Ingham, and will be a great asset to the group.
Victoria Brown;
Vic is currently associated with the Springvale Baseball Club and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in women’s baseball as a player, coach and administrator for some 15 years. Vic has been involved in all levels of the sport from club level through to international tournament participation. Vic was a dual MVP winner of the 2015/16 Women’s Division 1 Summer League, which goes with her numerous league awards and premierships as both a player and coach in the Victorian Summer Baseball League and the Dandenong Baseball Association throughout her career. Her career was not only outstanding at a club level but Vic also went on to represent Victoria at 8 National Championships and was awarded the Australian women’s pitching champion in 2009. Vic offers experience in membership recruitment and retention, event management, communications, and service delivery through her profession. Vic is now a Managing Director of her workplace and will bring many aspects to the group.