Creating A Brochure For 'Sport For All': Softball

Congratulations, you are the newly appointed Sport Development Manager of a State Sport Association (like Bowls ACT)! Your first task in this position is to produce a new brochure to illustrate the extent to which your sport caters for ‘Sport for All’. The idea is that this brochure will then be used to inform current and potential participants in the sport of what opportunities are available to them.

In completing this task you MUST consider the following points:  

1. Your choice of sports is limited to the following list. You must choose ONE of these eight sports in which you will take up your position of Sport Development Manager:
2. Baseball
3. Badminton
4. Ice Hockey
5. Squash
6. Lawn Bowls
7. Table Tennis
8. Softball
9. Water Polo

Note: If an ACT body does not exist, you are fine to use the SSA of NSW

1. In answering the question “To what extent does [sport] cater for ‘Sport for All’ you MUST include ALL of these elements:

2.1 Introduction to your brochure

• Provide an introduction to potential readers of the brochure that sets out what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and the argument you are going to make

2.2 What does ‘Sport for All’ mean

• Define and discuss the concept of ‘Sport for All’
• The quality of this discussion (see marksheet) will be guided by the extent to which you are able to discuss the key concept and provide references to academic sources.

2.3 Explanation of your Sport

• Include a very brief history of some of the key moments in the sport (such as establishment of organisations; participation in the Olympic Games; significant rule changes, etc.). You could consider placing the key dates and events in a table.
• Include a very brief description of the sport and its purpose
• Name and briefly discuss the key sport organisations at a local, State, National and International level that facilitate people’s participation in your sport. You may wish to include a Sport for All agency matrix which depicts these sport organisations
• The quality of this discussion (see marksheet) will be guided by the extent to which you are able to discuss these key points in relation to your sport using contemporary (and/or academic) research sources

2.4 How does your Sport contribute to ‘Sport for All’

• The quality of this discussion of sport development and sport equity (see marksheet) will be guided by the extent to which you are able to discuss these two key concepts and provide references to academic and contemporary research sources

2.4.1 Discussion of Sport Development relevant to your Sport

• Points to consider in your discussion include: Format of competitions and contributions to sport development; Most prestigious competitions at different levels; Sport Development programs (i.e. ACTSPORT/NSWIS or AIS Sport Program)

2.4.2 Discussion of Sport Equity relevant to your Sport

• Points to consider in your discussion include: Format of competitions and contributions to sport equity; Sport equity initiatives to increase participation by different social groups (men, women, children, juniors, youth, people with disabilities, older adults, different ethnicities).

Introduction to your brochure

This brochure focuses on giving a detailed information about softball sport. Softball remains a vivacious of baseball that it is played with bigger ball on smaller pitch. Three different types of this sport are slow-pitch softball, fast-pitch and modified softball. This brochure will give an explanation of the meaning of ‘sport for all’, present a detailed explanation of softball, the contribution of softball to ‘sport for all’, a discussion of sport development relevant to softball, discussion of sport equity relevant to softball and give a brief conclusion about softball and its connection to the concept of ‘sport for all’.

2) Meaning of ‘Sport for All’
Sports are all forms of competition for physical activity which are either unplanned or planned input, aim to use or improve the physical ability while at the same time, it helps to provide enjoyment to the participants. The sport usually is the contest or a game between two sides with each attempting to exceed the other. ‘Sport for all’ refers to the shriving for educating everyone including people on welfares that are related to sports partaking (Chan, 2012). It goes
outside hitting suggested degree of physical activities. Involvement in sport may sustain the social alongside personal growth and health all over life. It focuses on highlighting an essential issue of ‘sport for all’ by inspiring individual of every gender, age, levels of ability as well as backgrounds to partake in sport.

3) Softball Explanation
Softball remains a vivacious of baseball that it is played with bigger ball on smaller pitch.Three different types of this sport are slow-pitch softball, fast-pitch and modified softball. The soft-pitch is playable using a ball measuring eleven or twelve inches in perimeter based on league and age. The ball has to arch on the path to batter. The sport consist of ten players on the pitch during the game. Fast-pitch has a fast pitch with nine players in the pitch per time.

The players are allowed to steal and bunt. Modified softball limits the pitcher’s windmill windup.However, the pitcher is free to throw as hard as one can with limited back swing.The rules of softball differ slightly from baseball’s rules. Two key variations are that here, the ball has to be underhand pitched from forty-six feet or fourteen meters for males and
forty-three feet or 13.1 meters for females whereas baseball has underhand pitching at 60.5 feet or 18.4 meters. The other difference is that softball has 7 innings unlike 9 to establish a regulation game. Unlike its name, the ball is never very soft. The ball is around twelve inches in perimeter or eleven/twelve inches for slow-pitch. This is three inches larger compared to a baseball.

The recreational league for softball for kids usually utilize an eleven-inch ball. There is a smaller infield compared to high school or adult baseball diamond. However, it is similar to the one utilized by Little League Baseball with individual base being sixty feet from the subsequent one unlike 90 feet in baseball. The whole infield in fast-pitch is sand, while the baseball’s infield is grass with an exception at the bases that are sandy.

What does ‘Sport for All’ mean

4) Contribution of Softball to ‘Sport for All’?
Softball is enjoyable by individuals of all abilities and ages globally. A modified softball resembled baseball and is playable in parks, schools as well as competition field in the entire fields in Australia. It provides for come and play opportunities as well as membership per local programs. Both coaching and development opportunities have been provided via local softball clubs as well as governing bodies including ASA, ISA, ISF, NSA and USSA.

These bodies give certification that the bat is acceptable for play in a particular league and tournament which are sanctioned by association. Over twenty governing bodies exist that can be recognized easily to support ‘sport for all’. It is offers several competition opportunities for players of all abilities encompassing school competition, and diverse competition as well as social grades at local clubs.

It is played via bat, ball and glove. The competition needs a particular field that has bases as well as boundaries. It has modified equipment such as foam bats, tees and balls for young, new as well as developing players hence supporting ‘sport for all’. One does need to be a playerto get engaged. It provides opportunity to contribute as a coach, volunteer, team manager, administrator, and official of sport and as enthusiastic fan.

5) Relevant Sports Development
According to the sports event, some of the crucial roles include developing, coordinating,implementing, monitoring, as well as evaluating. These are being done under a comprehensive sports development model which provides a pathway for athletes, coaches, and executives as well as sports superintendents in backing of softball strategic course of BCS. These are the main obligation of this stance with the aim of developing pathways to participate in softball (Fronske,
2015).

6) Relevant Sports Equity 
Softball investment is all about the impartiality in sport, parity of access, acknowledging the disparities and captivating the correct measures to speak to them. It entails the altering both cultural along with structural frameworks to make sure that it converts to being correspondingly reachable to everybody in the community. The rights, dignity, as well as worth of every individual is respected besides treating everybody alike within the setting of their respective sport irrespective of ability, age gender as well as economic status (Fronske, 2015). It is committed to ensuring that everyone has the right of enjoying playing in a setting that has no threat of bullying, pestering, and exploitation.

Conclusion

It is only in the softball sport game that has got the opportunity to provide a ‘sport for all’ in that all the disable are being provided with the modernized devices which then enables them to have chance to play the sport in a more comfortable way (Lee, 2012). On the same note,it is only in softball where each person’s rights are being looked into without discrimination thus making it to be a ‘sport for all’.

References

Chan, C. M., & Rossmann, J. S. (2012). softball shuttlecock aerodynamics: synthesizing experiment and theory. Sports Engineering, 15(2), 61-71.

Fronske, H. A. (2015). Teaching cues for sport skills for secondary school students. Pearson.Lee, J. H., & Yoo, W. G. (2012). Treatment of chronic Achilles tendon pain by Kinesio taping in an amateur softball player. Physical Therapy in Sport, 13(2), 115-119.