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Australia women's national softball team

Australia women's national softball team
Medal record
Softball at the Summer Olympics
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Team
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team
ISF Women's World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1965 Melbourne
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Stratford
Bronze medal – third place 1982 Taipei
Silver medal – second place 1998 Fujinomiya
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Beijing
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Haarlem
World Cup of Softball
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Oklahoma City
Silver medal – second place 2009 Oklahoma City
Silver medal – second place 2012 Oklahoma City
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Oklahoma City

The Australia women's national softball team, also known as the Aussie Spirit, is the national softball team of Australia. It is governed by Softball Australia and takes part in international softball competitions. They are one of Australia’s most successful women’s sporting teams on the world stage, and they have achieved outstanding results over the last 3 decades. Alongside the USA team, the Aussie Spirit are the only other team to medal at all 4 Olympics that softball was included as a sport in the Olympics program. At the inaugural Women’s Softball World Championship held in Melbourne, 1965. Australia claimed the first ever title, winning Gold and stamped themselves as a pioneer in the sport.

The national team has not secured as much funding as male dominated sports in Australia despite having performed better than some and having won major international competitions. The removal of softball from the Olympic programme resulted in the national team getting less funding.

Australian women competed in their first international competition in 1949 when they played a series against New Zealand in St Kilda at the St Kilda Cricket Ground. 10,000 people watched the game live. The first international for Australian women took place in 1951 when the Australians toured New Zealand. Australia won both games against the New Zealanders. In 1960, Australia hosted its first international tournament with national teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa competing. At the tournament, Australia beat South Africa by a score of 2-1. Australia hosted the event again in 1962, where they beat the New Zealanders in the final 2-1. At the ISF Women's World Championship, Australia finished first in 1965 and second in 1998. The 1965 victory was considered very impressive as they beat the Americans, who invented the game in 1887, to win the championship. Between 1949 and 1967, Australia's senior women's side was undefeated in international play.

Australia's women have won the World Championships. Australia was one of five nations to compete at the inaugural ISF Women's World Championship held in Melbourne, Victoria in 1965. At the time Australia hosted the event, the sport was being played by women across the country on the club and school level. At the 1965 Championships, Australia played two games against the United States where they shut them out and allowed them to score no runs. In 1974, Australia was knocked out at the semi-finals stage by the Americans by a score of 6-0. Australia finished second to the United States at the 1998 championship. They lost in a one hit shutout. This was their best finish since the competition's inception. Australia will compete at the 2012 edition.


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Wikipedia

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