🥎 The Story of DFM Softball

It all started with a call from a friend—Brooke Wilkins, a three-time Olympian and someone I’ve shared plenty of softball memories with (mainly her beating me up when I batted from the pitchers mound until I sensibly starting playing with her!). She asked if I’d help run some camps through Sports Camps Australia. I said yes, and that one decision kicked off years of coaching, connecting, and building something way bigger than just a few holiday clinics.

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Over the next few years, I ran more than 15 camps during school holidays—2 to 3 days each, packed with drills, game sense, and plenty of laughs. As the camps grew, so did my coaching style. I started offering 1:1 sessions, diving deeper into fundamentals and helping kids build confidence in their own game.

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Back then, I called it FM Softball. The name had meaning—something I believed in at the time. But as things evolved, the original vision didn’t quite eventuate. And you know what? That didn’t matter. The coaching, the connection, the growth—it all kept moving forward. After all, it was just a name.

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Then COVID hit. Like it did for so many grassroots programs, it shut us down hard. Camps paused. Clinics stopped. But I wasn’t done.

In 2021, I came back with a roar with my first camp back hosting FIFTY FIVE kids (and almost as many parents). After months of lockdowns, kids (and probably their parents!) were desperate for something active, social, and fun. That camp was electric. It reminded me why I coach, why I teach, and why softball matters.  It also introduced my new name - DFM Softball.  During that downtime, I started thinking more intentionally about what I wanted my coaching to stand for. That’s when the name DFM Softball came to me. It has meaning—real meaning. It’s exactly what it sounds like, but probably not something anyone would guess. If anyone’s ever curious, they can ask me. I’ll tell them.

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I ran one more clinic after that, then focused mainly on 1:1 coaching—quiet, consistent, and personal. But 2025 lit the fuse again.  I hosted a series of free clinics, and over 40 kids showed up. That turnout didn’t just reignite interest in softball—it reinvigorated me. The energy, the joy, the hunger for FUNdamentals reminded me that this work matters. That coaching with purpose, with heart, and with a whole lot of fun is still needed.

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