AUSSIE HEARTS GIRLS & WOMEN'S BASEBALL

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The New York Yankees honoured the Aussie Hearts elite women's team at Yankee Stadium in 2015 to mark the program's 10th Anniversary.

 

Aussie Hearts has worked with Baseball Australia and the Melbourne Aces to put on the National Women's All-Star game. The Hearts have also partnered with Baseball Australia to create and manage the Australian national women's program's training camp in Osaka, Japan.

 

A special highlight was helping create and manage Baseball Australia's Diamonds in the Rough program, in conjunction with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to promote gender equality and Australian values in Indonesia.

 

Aussie Hearts kicked off in 2005 by playing the first-ever international junior girls baseball match in San Francisco. Through the years the team has travelled to all corners of the United States, as well as Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Canada.​

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Our elite women's team has won major tournaments in Hong Kong and Kenosha, topping the best teams in Asia and America respectively. The program has also sent shadow squads to train and play in conjunction with the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup.

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Much credit goes to leaders like Narelle Gosstray, Simone Wearne, Kelly Manzie, Shae Lillywhite, and Lisa Norrie who have been our coaches.

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Legend Jeneane Descombes Lesko has been the most important coach. She is a former player and president for the All-American Girls Baseball League ("A League of Their Own"). Lesko serves as an incredible inspiration to all who have shared the uniform with her.

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AUSSIE SPARKS GIRLS & BOYS FASTPITCH SOFTBALL

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Aussie Sparks has partnered with Softball Australia to provide high performance training and elite competitive experiences for the Australian U17 National Girls National Squad and the Australian Junior Men's National Program.

 

For Softball Australia, Aussie Sparks has partnered managed all travel, training, and competition logistics for programs running to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle in the United States, as well as Vancouver in Canada.

 

Since 2009, Sparks Fastpitch has served to help Australians access high performance training in Australia, Asia, and North America. It has participated in elite competition and high performance training in the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan.

 

A longstanding relationship with San Jose State University and former Team USA head coach Peter Turner has been a highlight. This has provided world class training, as well as an elite pathway through which Australian athletes have played NCAA sport at the highest level.

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The program has undertaken high performance training with the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch League. It has engaged in an training camp with Sagawa Kubin in the Japanese Professional Softball League under a grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

Other highlights include working with the USA Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California to deliver a high performance training camp. Aussie Sparks has also played an international friendly series with USA Softball Junior National Program.

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AUSSIE SPARKS WOMEN'S AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL

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Launched in 2017, the Sparks Women's Aussie Rules Football program has initially conceived as a pilot concept with the blessing of the AFL. The program has since worked closely with the USAFL in America to support their nationals and to develop bilateral pathway programs. 

 

The program was initially conceived by Jacinda Barclay, a player for Greater Western Sydney in the AFLW. For the pilot program traveling to California, she designed the training regimen, recruited players and staff, as well as provided the vision for what the program could become.

 

Nicole Graves, former Women's General Manager for the Carlton AFL Football Club, led the inaugural Aussie Sparks women's footy team to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and to San Diego for USAFL Nationals. That initial group had two players drafted into the AFLW while on tour.

 

Going forward this program offers great promise in providing further opportunities to empower women in sport.

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AUSSIE SPARKS BOYS BASEBALL

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Through Aussie Sparks, MLB World Series winning head coach Ozzie Guillen has led high performance training camps and elite coaching development with the Melbourne Aces and Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League, plus Baseball Western Australia and Fielders Choice.

 

Since 2009, this program has undertaken high performance training and elite competition in Chicago, Milwaukee, Field of Dreams Iowa, and Minneapolis. It has received high performance training and elite pathway support with MLB Chicago White Sox personnel at the Chicago Bulls/Sox Academy, and through Brew State Baseball Academy in Wisconsin.

 

Aussie Sparks Boys Baseball has also worked with Cornell College in Iowa to create elite coach development internships for Australian coaches, as well as NCAA pathway opportunities for Australian athletes. The program has also worked with Baseball Australia to explore coach development opportunities with the Chicago White Sox.