Baseball WA has been announced as a grant recipient of the Sport and Recreation Inclusive Participation Grants Program, administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. This is part of a $2.2 million boost over the next three years for inclusive sport and recreation projects.
Baseball WA will receive a $300,000 grant to support people with disability through a Little League Challenger expansion project. Little League lnternational's Challenger program is a highly modified baseball program specifically aimed at the disability sector. The project will expand on the single program currently being run in Wanneroo by creating two new programs in the Eastern and Southern suburbs. The Wanneroo program will also be expanded to include the adult version in addition to the junior version they currently run. “We are so excited about this opportunity to expand Little League Challenger and bring the joy of baseball to more West Australians,” Baseball WA CEO Lachlan Dale said. “Thank you to DLGSCI for this significant contribution to ensure we can better accommodate kids and adults with physical and intellectual challenges.” Stay tuned for more updates as we launch this expansion project and check out Challenger Division Wanneroo Giants on Facebook for insights into the program thus far. After winning the 2024 Australian Senior League Championship, Eastern Phantoms are preparing to pack their bags and play on the world stage.
Phantoms will represent Australia at the 2024 Senior League Baseball World Series in South Carolina, USA from 27 July to 3 August. They are training hard ahead of the tournament and hoping to carry the momentum from their undefeated nationals campaign into the international competition. “The cohesiveness of the boys was outstanding. Their trust in their teammates and joy they exhibited when their teammates excelled was something special,” coach Daniel Calverley said. “Our team depth is our greatest strength.” The group picked up several double-digit wins and made the most of their time at nationals in Geelong, where they made awesome memories and got to play in a battle of the West to seal the deal. “The tour of the Geelong facilities with Brett Johnson, former Morley Eagles baseball player, was great,” Tyson Edwards said. “I’m most proud of the continued battle and the grand final game against Wanneroo.” “I’m most proud of the team performance over the week,” George Calverley added. The Phantoms are excited to represent at the World Series and pave the path for their future goals, such as playing college baseball and representing their country. “I’m most proud of winning the tournament and the trip to the US,” Brady Manning said. “My goal for the future is to make an Australia team." Follow along with the Phantoms journey on Facebook.
May 2024 was a special month for the Baseball WA Heritage Committee, which welcomed the baseball community to celebrate the opening of the new BWA Hall of Fame Room at the Heritage Museum.
The museum at Empire Ballpark has been brought to life through countless contributions from those who have donated memorabilia, volunteered their time, and shown support for the sport’s rich history in the state. On opening day for the Hall of Fame Room, the BWA Heritage Committee was joined by speakers Doug Mateljan (Baseball Australia & Baseball WA Hall of Fame inductee) and the Hon. Matt Keogh, Federal Minister for Veteran Affairs (the museum is situated in his electorate of Burt). “The Hall of Fame Room was made possible through funding from Doug Mateljan and the Federal Stronger Communities Grants Program,” Museum Coordinator Paul Tye said. “The project started two years ago when a small maintenance shed attached to the main museum building was converted into a room specifically to honour and acknowledge the Baseball WA Hall of Fame inductees, of which there are currently 40 (13 of whom are deceased).” At the official opening ceremony, four Indigenous dot-painted baseballs were presented to the Patron of the Museum, Ms Pat Morris, Adam Hort, Deputy Mayor of the City of Gosnells, Doug Mateljan and Matt Keogh for their contributions to the project and development of the Baseball Museum. The Heritage Committee hopes to extend the current museum building to increase display space, and the official launch served as a fundraiser to further their efforts. “Through the generosity of ex-Claxton Shield players and family members of deceased players, we raised $35,000 on the day. The target is $50,000,” Tye said. 600 players have represented WA in the Claxton Shield since 1937 but only 40 have been recognised by their peers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. “Through the Museum and Hall of Fame Room, their legacy will continue for generations to appreciate their achievements in baseball,” Tye added. “Each player has been encouraged to donate a piece of their memorabilia to be displayed in the room." The museum is open most Tuesday mornings and also available by appointment in the off-season at Empire Ballpark in Thornlie. During the Perth Heat ABL season, the museum is always open during double-header games with approximately 1,000 visitors last year.
Baseball WA is pleased to open coaching expressions of interest for U16 & U18 State Teams in preparation for the 2025 Australian Youth Championships next January (dates TBC).
Head coach, assistant coach, and support staff roles are available, offering an exciting opportunity to lead our talented juniors to success on the national stage. Additional support coaches for WA State Team training are also welcome to express interest. Please provide your expression of interest outlining your baseball experience and resume and confirm or address your understanding of the following expectations:
Selection Process
Please send all applications to [email protected] by Sunday 30 June 2024. BWAHPC will review applications and appoint with additional input from HPM and appointed head coach. Emerging Talent Program Introduction & Coaches We are also pleased to announce a new sub-elite program called the “Emerging Talent Program” (ETP) which will be rolled out as part of the participation department at the end of this year. The ETP will be an exact clone of the Australian Youth Championship WA State Teams (U16 and U18) but for the younger age group. Coach/player selection and preparation/training will all be identical and run hand-in-hand with the processes for the two state teams. Try-outs and weekly training will all be the same, with a training program for regional athletes TBA. The only difference will be that instead of selecting one team per age division and sending them off around the country to a national event, we will select multiple ETP teams and run a local tournament at the same time as the AYC games in January. Whilst we are still working through details, the program will be available to both:
The objectives of the program are:
This opportunity includes regional coaches and athletes, and the tryout process will be very mindful of regional athletes and for them will likely will take place in the October school holidays. Regional players should explore options to cover costs through the Regional Athlete Travel Subsidy Scheme. More detail is in development and will be finalised prior to calls for players nominations. Coaches who wish to be part of the ETP program are encouraged to submit their interest following the above guidelines for U16 and U18 State Team Coaches. Please send all applications to [email protected] by Sunday 30 June 2024. Baseball WA is pleased to recognise Reconciliation Week by rebranding Winter League as Makuru Baseball League for fixtures on Saturday 1 June. The upcoming weekend of Makuru Baseball League is named for the native Noongar Season for winter (June/July). This falls within National Reconciliation Week (NRW), which is celebrated from 27 May to 3 June. The annual observance in Australia commemorates two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo Decision 1. During NRW, Australians reflect on Indigenous histories, cultures, and achievements, and consider how to contribute to achieving reconciliation. Baseball WA is grateful to play a small part in the acknowledgment and celebration of Indigenous culture, and we look forward to continuing our support through Indigenous Rounds in partnership with Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service. DYHS provides culturally secure primary health, mental health and dental services for Aboriginal families living right across the Perth metropolitan area. “Thank you to Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service for helping us to build stronger relationships with the Indigenous community,” Baseball WA CEO Lachlan Dale said. “We are inspired by this partnership and want to do our part to recognise Indigenous culture and support First Nations people.” Fixtures for the Makuru Baseball League round can be found below. If you would like to learn more about the meaning behind Makuru Baseball League, here is some information from Edith Cowan University explaining how Aboriginal seasons are guided by the land.
Noongar Six Seasons Unlike the European calendar, there are six Noongar seasons in Western Australia’s South West region, which are indicated by changes in local plants and animals. Traditionally Noongar people hunted and gathered food according to the seasons, being guided by the signs in nature as to which animal and plant resources were plentiful at those times. Makuru The Noongar Season ‘Makuru’ is represented by the colour dark blue as it symbolises rain and cold weather. Makuru sees the coldest and wettest time of the year in the South West. Traditionally, this was a good time of the year to move back inland from the coast as the winds turned to the west and south bringing the cold weather, rains and occasionally snow on the peaks of the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges. As the waterways and catchments started to fill, people were able to move about their country with ease and their food sources changed from the sea, estuarine and lake foods to those of the land, in particular the grazing animals such as the kangaroo. As well as a food source, animals provided people with many other things. For example, the 'yongar' or kangaroo, not only provided meat but also 'bookas' (animal skin cloaks that were used as the nights became much cooler). Nothing was left. Even the bones and sinews were used in the manufacturing of bookas and for affixing barbs to hunting tools such as spears. Makuru is also a time for a lot of animals to be pairing up in preparation for breeding in the coming season. If you look carefully, you might see pairs of 'wardongs' (ravens) flying together. Upon the lakes and rivers of the South West, you'll also start to see a large influx of the Black Swan or 'Mali' as they too prepare to nest and breed. Flowers that will start to emerge include the blues and purples of the blueberry lily (Dianella revoluta) and the purple flags (Patersonia occidentalis). As the season comes to a close, you should also start to notice the white flowers of the weeping peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) as the blues start to make way for the white and cream flowers of Djilba |
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