21/08/2026
🥎 40 Years of Giants | From an Idea to a Family 🖤❤️🤍
Meet Robyn – Founder, Life Member and One of the Women Who Started It All
As Giants Softball Club celebrates its 40th Anniversary this season, there is no better person to help tell the story of how it all began than Robyn.
Back in 1986, Robyn and a group of senior players were playing softball for other clubs when they discovered a problem that many of us would find hard to imagine today - they didn't want juniors.
Their children, aged between six and ten, desperately wanted to play the game they had watched their Mums play. So the Mums found a solution.
They started their own club.
Initially, four teams of children played against each other for fun, without even having a club behind them. But after a year, Robyn, Debbie Robins, Helena Birrell and a small group of passionate volunteers decided it was time to make it official.
And Giants Softball Club was born.
The early days were certainly not glamorous. There were no uniforms, no equipment and no money. Robyn and Debbie and other parents spent days selling Bingo tickets at Elizabeth Shopping Centre, raising $1,000 - a small fortune for a brand-new club and enough to get Giants started.
Even the uniforms were a family affair. Robyn and her sister Lynette made them themselves, using pajama patterns to create the different sizes. And Robyn still has those original patterns today!
The name Giants came from the size of the players themselves. The kids were so small that the founders thought it would be funny to call them Giants.
They soon grew into Giants in every sense of the word.
From those humble beginnings, the club grew to have teams across almost every grade, with generations of families becoming part of the Giants story.
For Robyn, that's what has always made Giants special.
"It has always been about much more than just playing softball. For me, what makes Giants special is the family atmosphere."
Over the years, Robyn has been a coach, umpire, scorer, mentor, player, committee member and supporter, as well as a Life Member of both Giants and GDSA. She has also been recognised with SA Softball and Softball Australia Awards.
Her Giants memories span four decades - from winning the club's first premiership in 1988/89, to coaching her daughters Rebecca and Kelly, travelling to the USA with a Giants team in 1996, and reconnecting with players she coached who now have children of their own.
But perhaps one of her greatest rewards is hearing those former players talk about the positive impact Giants had on their lives.
As Giants looks towards the next 40 years, Robyn's hope is simple:
"How good would it be to know that kids are still out there, wearing the black, red and white and playing softball for Giants? That would be something very special."
And her advice to the next generation?
"Enjoy it, don't sweat the small stuff, and if at first you don't succeed, listen to your coach and keep trying!"
⚾ Fast Pitch
🥎 Favourite Playing Positions: Catcher & Short Stop
📅 Years with Giants: 40 years
🏆 Giants Legacy: Founder • Coach • Player • Umpire • Scorer • Mentor • Life Member
🌎 Most Memorable Adventure: Taking a Giants team to the USA in 1996
👨👩👧 Favourite Teammates: "Too many to mention - but my kids Rebecca and Kelly, followed closely by my nieces Pam, Dianne, Carol and Cristy."
❤️ One Word That Describes Giants: Family
Robyn, thank you for having the vision to see a need and the determination to do something about it. Forty years ago, you and a small group of parents didn't just start a softball club - you created a place where generations of players and families could belong.
From four little teams playing for fun to 40 years of Giants history, the legacy you helped create is something to be incredibly proud of.
Here's to the next generation of little Giants - and the next 40 years.
Once a Giant, Always a Giant. 🖤❤️🤍🥎
