About

Up to late 1940’s softball organisations conducted Queensland and Australian championships in Brisbane but were always held at different venues.

1953 the Queensland Women’s Softball Association was formed. In 1957 an ‘umbrella’ organisation, Women’s Amateur Sports Appeal Committee was formed by then Lady Mayoress Mrs Jessie Groom, to co-ordinate the harmonious activities of female sport throughout summer and winter seasons

Both women’s individual and team sports found their spiritual homes at Downey Park (Women’s Sports Reserve) after it was “… dedicated to women’s sport in 1959 …” by the Brisbane City Council (BCC). Finding security and stability for netball, hockey, athletics, cricket and softball provided the platform for infrastructure programs, by volunteers and public entities, to start in earnest.

In late 1960 an application was made to the Brisbane City Council for the use of Downey Park for softball. Permission was granted, a lease agreed to and in late 1961 volunteers had a working bee to erect backstops in readiness for the season’s games (1st October, 1961 - minutes of meeting). Our game had found a permanent home in Brisbane!

1965 saw the formation of Brisbane Women’s Softball Association and under the leadership of Audrey McLaughlin (AM), it continued to foster and develop softball for girls and women of every calibre at Downey Park.

After much hard work by hundreds of volunteers, who carted bricks and gravel, painted and performed many other tasks, March 1980 saw the international diamond opened with the Australian Championships and a Mini World Series tournament

In 2004 the BCC listed Downey Park as a ‘Local Heritage Place’

A 2007 upgrade to saw international standard lights on Diamond #1, an equipment shed and the enclosed batting cages

During its time, Brisbane Softball Association (BSA) has conducted Queensland State Championships (x 28 times), Australian Championships (x 27 times), National Fastpitch League games (x 75 games) and on 11 occasions held various international tournaments. Softball entered the Olympic program in 1996 and BSA has conducted countless Australian softball camps and housed the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). An Australian softball team has competed in all 4 Olympic Games and won a medal in each one! At present, of the 33 Olympians who have represented Australia in softball, 21 have participated, in the game they love, in Brisbane Softball Association competition/s. For the 2021 Olympics, BSA has 4 hopefuls!

Brisbane Softball remains the place to play softball