PORTER Stacey

General
THIRD OLYMPIC GAMES
She made her debut for Australia on a tour to Japan in 2002, and was part of the Australian team that lost the final of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens to the United States of America, and won bronze at the 2008 Games in Beijing. She says she has no plans to retire after softball returns to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I waited for 12 years to return to the Olympics and it is so rewarding to be back at the Tokyo Olympics. It was upsetting to see the sport dropped. I was more bothered for the girls who'd never had the chance to be an Olympian than for me. But I'd built my life around trying to get there. It is not going to be easy, but we are determined to emerge tops this time around. I may be 38 [in 2020], but I am far from quitting. I simply love the game too much. I will be around as long as I can contribute." She believes Australia can beat the United States of America in Tokyo. "They're still at the top of their game but I think this is as good a time as any to beat them. They're there for the taking. This is probably the most confident I've been in the last couple of years." (northerndailyleader.com.au, 30 Sep 2019; britishsoftball.org, 20 Oct 2019; olympic.org, 18 Oct 2017; tokyo2020.org, 23 Oct 2020; nine.com.au, 05 Feb 2019)

PLAYING ABROAD
She believes softball's limited popularity in Australia is one reason why she and other Australian players play professionally in Japan or the United States of America. In 2020 she was playing for SGH Galaxy Stars in the Japan Women's Softball League, having first played in Japan in 2008. "We don't get recognised back home, so we can go about our business and no-one really knows who you are. It doesn't bother me that we're anonymous but it's quite sad that we are a national team that not many people know about. I'd ultimately like to be playing softball in Australia. I don't want to have to travel to Japan every year and spend so much time away from family and friends. But hopefully the times are changing. It seems to be a little bit on the up for women in sport in general and we've got some good people working behind the scenes." (tokyo2020.org, 23 Oct 2020; wbsc.org, 08 Nov 2020; nine.com.au, 05 Feb 2019)

INDIGENOUS HERITAGE
Her family heritage is with the Kamilaroi people, one of the largest nations of Indigenous Australians on the eastern coast of Australia. According to Softball Australia she was the first Indigenous Australian to represent the country in softball at the Olympic Games, and she uses her profile as an elite athlete to encourage indigenous youth into sport. "I've had lots of opportunities to get around to mostly outback New South Wales and work with indigenous kids there. I've been over to the West Australian communities." In 2020, alongside Australian softball teammate Leah Parry, she was instrumental in the introduction of a new Softball Australia shirt that celebrates indigenous players, designed by artist Kylie Hill. "Any time we get to celebrate indigenous culture is quite powerful. I think there is a big part of Australia that doesn't understand where we have come from and how long our history really is. My call is for people to educate themselves and broaden their knowledge. I think it's something that can bring us together, the girls in the squad who aren't indigenous are all on board with it which is really cool, and it's something for the other countries we compete against to understand a little more about the indigenous culture and the Australian culture too." (nit.com.au, 13 Nov 2020; gameclothing.com, 09 Nov 2020; abc.net.au, 21 May 2020)

In 2019 she became the most-capped international softball player from any nation with 430 appearances, surpassing the previous record of 429 appearances held by Australian Natalie Ward. (softball.org.au, 03 Feb 2019; abc.net.au, 22 May 2020)