HILLS INDEPENDENT HILLS 129 MARCH 2026 | Page 31

Rouse Hill Rams Softball Club celebrates 10 years of community and growth

with Matt“ Duck Man” Austin
The Rouse Hill Rams Softball Club is proudly part of the wider Rouse Hill Rams sporting community, which brings together six local clubs including Little Athletics, Touch Football, Netball, Football( Soccer), Cricket and Softball. Together, they form a vibrant grassroots sporting network serving families across one of Sydney’ s fastest-growing regions.
Founded in 2015, the softball club is celebrating its 10th anniversary season in 2025 a major milestone that reflects a decade of dedication, growth and community spirit. The club competes in the Hornsby Softball Association, which includes four main clubs and two senior-only clubs. Remarkably, just two years ago the Rams were the smallest club in the association. Today, they are the second largest.
The club draws players from across Rouse Hill, The Gables, Box Hill, Kellyville and Beaumont Hills. From humble beginnings with just one team and 14 members, the Rams have grown to 80 players today. The past 12 months alone have seen a 50 per cent increase in membership, rising from 56 players in the 2024 / 25 season an impressive
achievement for any community sports club.
Club President Kate Proctor said the growth has been driven by strong community engagement, particularly through schools and social media, helping connect with young families.
“ Softball teaches teamwork, confidence and important cognitive skills,” Kate said.“ We’ ve worked hard to build awareness and create opportunities for kids to discover the sport.”
One of the club’ s biggest challenges remains exposure, as softball competes with larger sports for participation and funding. However, new national initiatives and increased media coverage including international games being broadcast and available on Kayo are helping raise the sport’ s profile.
The club’ s popular Come and Try programs have been especially successful, achieving a 100 per cent sign-up rate this season. These programs allow new players to train for up to eight weeks, learn the basics, meet teammates and experience the sport before committing.
The Rams are focused on making softball accessible to everyone. With just one training session per week, and equipment such as bats, gloves and helmets provided, barriers to entry are kept low. The club also
fundraises extensively to help offset costs, ensuring affordability during challenging cost-of-living times. Registration includes kits and training bags, helping families get started without additional expense.
The club has seen particularly strong growth in its Under-11 and Under-12 age groups, while its youngest players, aged four to nine, begin in teeball. The Rams also field competitive women’ s teams in both C Grade and A Grade, with players ranging from teenagers to adults in their 30s.
Kate’ s own journey with softball began in primary school playing teeball, and she has now been involved in the sport for over 20 years. She has represented at academy level and NSW level, and now contributes as President, coach, umpire and scorer.
“ I want to give young players the same opportunities and experiences that softball gave me,” she said.
The club’ s commitment is producing results. The Rams celebrated their first NSW representative player in the Under- 14s two years ago, with multiple players now selected in academy squads. This season will also mark the club’ s first 10-year player a special milestone that highlights the strong sense of belonging the Rams have created.
Rouse Hill Rams Softballers ready for action. Credit Rouse Hill Rams Softball Club
In recognition of their outstanding growth and community impact, the Rouse Hill Rams Softball Club was named Softball NSW Club of the Year 2025.
The club also acknowledged the vital support of its sponsors, including Outback Steakhouse, Sinali, Bella Beaumont Pizzeria and The Fiddler.
As they celebrate their first decade, the Rams continue to build a strong future developing players, fostering friendships, and strengthening community spirit through sport.

Viking Performance Lab Ice Hockey Centre setting the gold standard

with Matt“ Duck Man” Austin
Over the years, I’ ve built exceptional relationships with people across a wide range of sports throughout Australia, and I’ ve visited many high-performance centres with coaching and facilities comparable to the best in the world. Viking Performance Lab in Macquarie Park is one of those places- Australia’ s elite training hub for hockey, skating and winter athletes- and it’ s right up there with the best.
Viking Performance Lab is the brainchild of Jason Kvisle and his wife Annalie, both highly respected figures in Australian ice hockey. They have competed and coached in the men’ s and women’ s Australian Ice Hockey League( AIHL), and Jason is currently head coach of the Australian Under-20 national team. Earlier this year, he guided the team to a silver medal at the IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championships Division II Group B tournament, including a thrilling 6 – 5 comeback victory over Iceland after trailing by three goals. Jason clearly understands what it takes to build a
world-class high-performance facility.
When I was invited to visit Viking Performance Lab, I wasn’ t quite sure what to expect- but from the moment I walked in, I knew this was something special. The impressive sign-in kiosk sets the tone, and immediately to the left sits a skating treadmill designed for ice hockey players, figure skaters and speed skaters. The treadmill can increase in speed and incline to replicate real game fatigue and conditions. Jason demonstrated its capability, pushing the incline to an extreme level. It was impressive to watch- and certainly not for the faint-hearted. The treadmill allows athletes to refine their skating technique, improve endurance, and analyse their form in a controlled environment.
Another standout feature is the slap shot training rink. Equipped with nine targets, a digital scoreboard and timer, it allows players to develop shooting accuracy under pressure. Watching athletes fire pucks with precision was impressive- and a reminder of the skill required to perform at elite level.
The centre also features three additional shooting lanes and a specialised goaltender training area, where experienced goalie coach Gabe works closely with developing players. During my visit, I watched him put a young goaltender through intense agility drills, focusing on positioning, recovery and reaction speed. The level of professionalism and attention to detail was outstanding.
One of the most innovative areas is the skating and puckhandling platform. Athletes navigate a course while responding to visual cues and moving targets, improving balance, awareness and reaction time. Another advanced machine delivers pucks at varying speeds while lighting up targets in quick succession, challenging athletes to respond instantly and build elite-level coordination.
Jason explained that Viking Performance Lab is unique in Australia, offering technology and training systems comparable to elite European facilities. While there are other training centres
Goaltender training with coach Gabe.
around the country, Viking brings together cutting-edge equipment, experienced coaching and a comprehensive development environment in one location.
Whether athletes are aspiring beginners or elite competitors, Viking Performance Lab provides a pathway to improve skating ability, develop technical skills and reach peak performance. Facilities like this are helping grow ice hockey and winter sports in Australia- and Viking Performance Lab is leading the way.
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 129 // MARCH 2026 29