The results of the State Championships Survey are in!

Based on the 181 responses we received the 2023 State Championships will look as follows:

Open State Championships – Labour Day Weekend 11-13 March 2023
U14/U18 State Championships – 15-16 April 2023 OR 22-23 April 2023
U16 State Championships – 15-16 April 2023 OR 22-23 April 2023

The locations for the State Championships are being worked on now and will be released as soon as possible.

The State Championships will be made mandatory for all players and Head Coaches to attend, should they wish to represent Victoria on the national stage.  Members wanting to represent Victoria at the Under 23s will be required to attend the Open State Championships.  The State Championships for the Over 35s will not be mandatory in 2023 and will be revisited for 2024.

The time of year for State Championships was reasonably split between Summer (during summer softball) and Autumn (between summer and winter softball seasons).  The choice of dates considers the timing of the current National Championships and Association fixtures.  We appreciate that there may be any number of clashes, particularly with winter sport in April, however it is hoped that a state championship with state selection implications will be prioritised over an early season winter sport fixture.

Where a sufficient number of teams nominate, a grading system will be implemented.

Team construction for both open and underage teams will be association based, with associations required to have a minimum of seven of their own players (and a maximum of 13) to submit a team.  Where associations cannot achieve a minimum team size, players will be required to nominate to be drafted.  Players are required to play for their home associations where their home association has entered a team.  Associations can only cut players where their team numbers would exceed 13 players to enter the draft.

The draft order in the first year will be randomly generated with teams with the smallest number of players given draft priority. 
For example:

Team 1 – 11 players
Team 2 – 10 players
Team 3 – 10 players
Team 4 – 7 players

Round 1 – Team 4
Round 2 – Team 4
Round 3 – Team 4
Round 4 – Team 2, Team 3, Team 4
Round 5 – Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, Team 4
Round 6 – Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, Team 4
Round 7 – Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, Team 4

Key dates for teams and draft candidates will be as follows:

Team Nomination (inclusive of the Head Coach, Assistant Coaches, Scorer, Team Manager and Umpire)
Open State Championships: Monday 20 February 2023
Underage State Championships: Monday 6 March 2023

Draft Nominations
Open State Championships: Friday 24 February 2023
Underage State Championships: Friday 10 March 2023

Draft
Open State Championships: Monday 27 February 2023
Underage State Championships: Tuesday 14 March 2023

With regard to setting minimum playing time, we received a split poll, as such playing time will be maintained as being set by the head coach.

Following the State Championships we will be seeking feedback on the event with all of the above outcomes up for review.  It is the goal of Softball Victoria and its Board, State Team Committee and Events Committees, for the State Championships to become the pinnacle event on the Victorian softball calendar.

For transparency, the results of the survey are provided below.

1. What Association do you belong to?

2. What time of year do you think is best to hold State Championships?

3. Do you think that attendance at State Championships should be mandatory for players to be considered for state team selection?

4. Do you think that attendance at State Championships should be mandatory for officials to be considered for state team selection?

5. Do you think the State Championships age groups should match the national and regional championships age groups, or should the age groups be broadened considering difficulties in filing age groups in previous State Championships?

6. Should there be minimum playing time requirements?

7. If you choose "participation should be regulated depending on age group" please advise which age group(s) this should apply to?

8. Should the duration of the Championships be:

9. How do you think teams for the underage State Championships should be constructed?

10. How do you think teams for the Open State Championships should be constructed?

11. For Open State Championships, should there be a single grade or multiple grades?

12. Please provide any other suggestions regarding construction of teams for State Championships.

There have been a number of recurring themes/suggestions.  A summary of responses to these items relating to State Championships is addressed as follows:

Comment: Please have the state championships at
Response: Location for State Championships will be based on number of diamonds available and be rotated through these associations.

Comment: Allowing multiple teams to enter from a single association
Response: This will be included in the post championships survey for all to comment on.

Comment: Review Queensland and New South Wales structure
Response: To compile the survey we sought advice on how all states and territories run their state championships.

Comment: Allow pick up of an interstate or international player
Response: We see the Victorian State Championships as a means to allow all interested Victorians a chance to play at a higher level.  Introducing interstate or international players will limit this opportunity to Victorians

Comment: Players can only represent in their youngest age group
Response: This will be included in the post championships survey for all to comment on.

13. Should officials have a minimum accreditation level to be involved with a team?

14. Please provide any further suggestions for the State Championships that you think will achieve: - increased participation, improvement in quality, better outcomes for our State Team program

There have been a number of recurring themes/suggestions.  A summary of responses to these items relating to State Championships is addressed as follows:

Comment: Allow teams in any form to enter
Response: This will be included in the post championships survey for all to comment on.

Comment: Consider a 4-6 week travel tournament
Response: This will be difficult to include within association fixtures as well as being inclusive of regional players and associations.

Comment: Have talent scouts at each championship
Response: We intend on having state selectors attend the events.

Comment: Hold before National Championships
Response: The intention of holding the state championships in March/April will allow squads to be formed ahead of the 2024 nationals giving a reasonable lead time for coaches to develop players before final team selection.

Comment: Announce dates at the start of the summer softball season
Response: The 2024 state championships will be set prior to the commencement of the 2023/24 summer season.  It is appreciated that the short lead time to the 2023 state championships is not ideal.