,  — Coming off a national championship win for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) men's open team in mid-February, representatives Nick Norton and Adam Folkard are getting ready for more softball later this year, including the Australian club championships to be held in in June. Nick Norton at the ACT versus Japan women's game |alt=A man Adam Folkard at the ACT versus Japan women's game |alt=A man and his dog Folkard and Norton have both won the World Championships and have each won a total of ten national championships with the ACT side. They are both named to the current men's national team, which has roughly thirty players, and believe they are likely to survive the December cut down to eighteen players who will represent Australia at next year's World Championship in ,  . Folkard and Norton have both played softball at the highest level in the  , where the men's game is not yet fully professionalized but still presents more opportunities for players than are available at home. For several years, Folkard has gone to the United States for three-month stints, playing for teams in , , and . One side he played was sponsored by Ernst and Young. Folkard currently plays for a Canadian side and has been trying to convince Norton, whom he has grown up playing softball with, to join him like Norton has done one previous season. According to Folkard, playing with a North American club has certain advantages. The clubs pay for his travel to and from Australia, and pay for Championship rings. When asked how North American clubs sign Australian players, he said they follow men's softball in Australia and call up players to offer contracts. Australian men's players gain additional exposure to potential clubs when they compete, with some sides approaching them during the North American season and seeking to contract them for the following season. Both men would love the opportunity to play softball in the  , but believe such an opportunity is unlikely. According to them, softball at the Olympics is a women's game intrinsically linked to men's  , and men's softball is unlikely to ever be considered on the programme as a result.
, Canberra — Coming off a national championship win for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) men's open team in mid-February, representatives Nick Norton and Adam Folkard are getting ready for more softball later this year, including the Australian club championships to be held in in June. Nick Norton at the ACT versus Japan women's game |alt=A man Adam Folkard at the ACT versus Japan women's game |alt=A man and his dog Folkard and Norton have both won the World Championships and have each won a total of ten national championships with the ACT side. They are both named to the current men's national team, which has roughly thirty players, and believe they are likely to survive the December cut down to eighteen players who will represent Australia at next year's World Championship in , New Zealand . Folkard and Norton have both played softball at the highest level in the United States , where the men's game is not yet fully professionalized but still presents more opportunities for players than are available at home. For several years, Folkard has gone to the United States for three-month stints, playing for teams in Chicago, Pennsylvania, and New York . One side he played was sponsored by Ernst and Young. Folkard currently plays for a Canadian side and has been trying to convince Norton, whom he has grown up playing softball with, to join him like Norton has done one previous season. According to Folkard, playing with a North American club has certain advantages. The clubs pay for his travel to and from Australia, and pay for Championship rings. When asked how North American clubs sign Australian players, he said they follow men's softball in Australia and call up players to offer contracts. Australian men's players gain additional exposure to potential clubs when they compete, with some sides approaching them during the North American season and seeking to contract them for the following season. Both men would love the opportunity to play softball in the Olympics , but believe such an opportunity is unlikely. According to them, softball at the Olympics is a women's game intrinsically linked to men's baseball , and men's softball is unlikely to ever be considered on the programme as a result.
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Canberra
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New Zealand
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United States
R
, , and
Chicago, Pennsylvania, and New York
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Olympics
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baseball