A former employee of Softball Australia says the organisation ignored her allegation that she had been sexually assaulted and harassed by a senior administrator in the sport.
Key factors:
- Sophie Moore alleges Softball Australia did not make a report about her case when she reported it
- She says there was a systemic failure in the sport to deal with her case
- Softball Australia admits it did not observe appropriate procedures
Sophie Moore has spent years attempting to have her grievance heard after she alleged the administrator gave her an undesirable embrace and groped her in 2017.
But she stated the incident itself has paled in comparison with the frustration she skilled over what she calls the “systemic failure” of Softball Australia to observe the organisation’s personal Members Protection Policy (MPP) and act on her grievance.
“Multiple people in authority whose job it is to action and uphold policy in the organisation made active choices to not action that policy,” she stated.
“And if they didn’t make that choice actively, then they don’t know their own policy, which is more concerning and alarming within sport.”
Ms Moore stated her well being had been affected by the expertise.
“My physical and mental health’s shot — I have anxiety, insomnia,” she stated.
Moore, who now works as the member safety data officer (MPIO) for Football Australia, stated her case is an instance of how smaller sports activities are ill-equipped to take care of complaints regardless of having insurance policies to guard gamers and staff.
Moore was employed by Softball Australia in 2015 as the National Sporting Schools Manager.
She stated she was harassed and groped by the senior administrator in January 2017 after being launched to him by then-chief govt of Softball ACT Jon Wells throughout a junior carnival.
She stated the alleged incident triggered a PTSD episode as a result of it reminded her of a sexual assault she stated she suffered in 2005.
Immediately after the incident she stated she complained verbally to Wells and adopted up just a few days later.
“He said ‘OK, I’ll deal with it and thank you’,” Moore stated.
“So, I just thought ‘this is a work problem. I’ve reported to my manager, I’ve done what I need to do’.”
Moore let the matter sit till 2018 when she noticed the man who allegedly groped her had been appointed to the board of a state softball affiliation.
By that point she had been made redundant throughout a Softball Australia reorganisation.
Nevertheless, she went again to Softball ACT, who by then had a brand new chief govt. They suggested her to contact David Pryles, who was then the chief govt of Softball Australia.
She stated Pryles instructed her she had a problem with the state softball affiliation who had made the board appointment and suggested her to contact the state president.
Pryles is now the chief govt of Hockey Australia. He instructed ABC Sport he couldn’t recall the dialog with Ms Moore, however stated he would have acted if there was a grievance in writing.
“From a governance perspective, under my leadership we were an industry leader in health and wellbeing,” Pryles stated.
“If there was a complaint put in writing to Softball Australia we would have taken that very seriously.”
Moore stated she then contacted the president of the state affiliation, who requested her for a replica of her preliminary report back to Softball ACT.
She stated when she contacted the former chief govt Wells, he admitted he had not acted on her grievance.
“He apologised and said ‘I’m so sorry, Sophie, I never made a report. I thought I did, I haven’t’,” Moore stated.
‘It felt heartbreaking’
Eventually, by means of an advocate, Moore approached the Softball Australia chief working officer and MPIO Chet Gray, who was the chief govt at the time of the alleged incident.
Gray wrote an electronic mail to Moore’s advocate, which acknowledged: “As far as I am aware this incident was not been (sic) reported to Softball Australia officially or non-officially.
“There is not any report or file of an alleged incident of sexual misconduct arising from the 2017 Australia Day Carnival.”
Gray resigned from Softball Australia in April.
Moore said after two years of reporting her complaints up the chain of Softball Australia, the email was “severely irritating”.
“It felt heartbreaking, like I used to be hitting my head in opposition to the wall,” she said.
She said the various administrators in the sport had failed to follow softball’s own member protection policy by asking her to contact other administrators.
“They made me contact folks – that is a breach of confidentiality – I’ve now uncovered who I’m,” she said.
Last year Moore made a statement with the Australian Federal Police in Canberra, who investigated her allegation, but ACT Policing told ABC Sport the case could not proceed due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
ABC Sport contacted both Jon Wells and Chet Gray.
“The info are that I’ve given a report back to the police,” Wells said.
“I’m not commenting any additional.”
Gray said he had “no remark at this stage as a result of of the investigation that is happening”.
Oversight ‘very unlucky’, says Softball Australia
Moore said she was frustrated that because administrators in Softball Australia did not follow their own procedures and make a written report of her allegations, the police investigation had to be stopped.
“Because of that inaction it is now impacted not simply softball however the police investigation,” Moore stated.
In a statement to ABC Sport, Softball Australia chief executive Rosie Williams said: “It could be very unlucky that these individuals to whom stories were made didn’t act and observe process. Those individuals are now not concerned in the sport.
“Such oversight will undoubtedly have caused distress to the complainant, and all member protection complaints should follow a clear and transparent process.
“It is essential the subsequent one who has a member safety subject feels supported in coming ahead.”
Williams said Gray was correct in saying he could not act without a written report, but said: “Obviously a report ought to have been initiated previous to the complainant contacting the MPIO.”
Asked why Moore was told to contact other administrators, which breached her confidentiality, Williams said: “Again, it is a failure by these concerned at the time to observe appropriate process. This is just not acceptable and doesn’t mirror the present values of the organisation.”
Moore also complained to Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), the new body set up in 2020, which is responsible the overarching responsibility for ensuring justice in Australian sport.
In January this year, SIA deputy chief executive of sports engagement Emma Johnson wrote to Moore saying the body could not investigate the case.
Johnson wrote SIA had launched the National Integrity Framework (NIF) in March 2021 to allow sports to “undertake a nationwide suite of integrity insurance policies and entry an impartial grievance dealing with framework”.
Softball Australia adopted the NIF in February.
Johnson stated as a result of the incident occurred earlier than the NIF was in place, SIA couldn’t examine the matter.
Moore said her case illustrates a wider problem in Australian sport – that athletes at all levels don’t know their rights, or that they’re entitled to make complaints to an independent officer within their sport.
“It’s a sport downside,” Moore said.
“Every athlete that I’ve spoken to, they do not know the time period ‘MPIO’ — they do not know that they are allowed to go to any person who’s not a president.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to, in every sport, who is an athlete — and a lot of administrators — aren’t aware or informed of the members protection policy, which is membership rights, and the policies that they themselves are bound by.”
She stated most sports activities have a member safety coverage that’s troublesome learn and perceive.
“It’s a 66-page document and it’s not easy to consume,” she stated.
Her feedback are supported by skilled sport lawyer Paul Horvath.
“The depth of knowledge and understanding of the member protection process and in particular the complaints and complaints management process is inconsistent across various sports across the state bodies and at the national level,” Horvath instructed ABC Sport.
He stated Ms Moore’s case was much like others he had heard from purchasers in different sports activities.
“The problem in my experience is that some of the smaller sports don’t know how to handle these matters,” he stated.
But he stated member safety insurance policies were important to protects the rights of all athletes and directors from grass roots to the elite degree.
He stated member safety data officers in all sports activities wanted higher schooling.
“Until you get a situation, it’s hard to understand the importance of that role,” he stated.
In her assertion, Williams stated she took member safety significantly.
“We are working with Sport Integrity Australia on an implementation and education plan for everyone in our softball community,” she stated.
Former Softball Australia employee says allegations of assault were ignored by the sport & More Latest News Update
Former Softball Australia employee says allegations of assault were ignored by the sport & More Live News
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