Kerrie Porter appointed Australian Women’s National Softball Team coach with LA28 Olympics a clear target
Softball Australia announced the appointment of Kerrie Porter as the new head coach of the Australian Women’s National Softball Team, the Aussie Spirit. Porter has extensive experience and a strong track record in Australian softball, positioning her well to lead the team towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Porter's first challenge as head coach will be The World Games 2025 Chengdu.
"It's a tremendous honour to lead the Aussie Spirit Programme and to work with our talented athletes and coaches on our vision to LA28," Porter said on Instagram. "I'm looking forward to challenge them. It's really important to have a lot of clarity around what our visions are and where we're heading and obviously our skill development and working on those finer details to make sure that we can compete internationally and enjoying the process along the way."
Porter outlined her priorities for the team, emphasising the importance of a structured and supportive environment. “My goal is to ensure every athlete has the resources and guidance necessary to perform at their best,” Porter said. “We will create a professional, high-performance culture that challenges and supports players to achieve success on the international stage.”
Porter, who has served as head coach of the New South Wales (NSW) women’s softball team for 15 years guiding the NSW Open Women’s team to nine National Gilley’s Shield Titles, stressed the importance of building on the knowledge of past Olympians.
"Former Olympic athletes are legends of our sport and the way they went about things was very impressive," she said. "We need to tap into that so definitely we'll be looking to call on some of the former athletes to give us some strategies they use, what worked, what didn't work, how best to approach different benchmarks and as well as the coaches how did they handle it. I think if we can tap into that extensive experience and knowledge we're going to be in a good place.
"I want to connect with our athletes and coaches just to introduce myself and speak a little bit about the vision that we've got moving forward and then we've got a camp in two weeks so preparing for that, planning for that is the first on the agenda as well," Porter said.
Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh expressed confidence in Porter’s ability to lead the team effectively. “Kerrie is the leader we need to guide the Aussie Spirit during this crucial time,” Loh said. “Her experience and guidance will be instrumental in developing a competitive team and building on the progress of women’s softball in Australia.”
“Kerrie is well-equipped to build a strong team culture and prepare the them for elite competition,” said Softball Australia National High Performance Director, Peta Searle. “Her expertise will contribute to an environment where athletes can develop, perform, and strive for podium success.”