Former Miami Marlins executive Kim Ng has been named the new commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Ng headed up the Marlins’ baseball operations team from 2020-2023 as the first woman general manager in MLB history, and now she will try to grow professional softball as interest in professional women’s sports grows.
Ng served as an assistant general manager with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1998-2011. Ng then spent some time working for Major League Baseball before the Marlins hired here in 2020.
In an interview with ESPN, Ng said she had she has a great appreciation for softball, and she wants to see the sport explode alongside the general popularity of women’s sports.
“I love this sport,” Ng said. “I grew up playing softball. From middle school on, I played softball, played in college and have, at some points in my career, worked to try and help strengthen the game. Have always kept my eye on it from afar, as I was in baseball, pursuing other things. But it’s been a big part of my life. I have four sisters. Three of us played in college, so it’s been a big part of our lives.
“When you talk about this, I think it’s part of a movement. I think we’re in the middle of this transcendence of women’s professional sports, now a part of the mainstream conversation. And that’s exciting to me.”
While Ng led the Marlins’ front office, she hasn’t ever been in charge of a whole league. That is a very different role, but Ng said her time in Miami helped prepare her through lessons in leadership.
“When I hear the word commissioner, it just means leadership,” Ng said. “And I think being at Major League Baseball really helped me to understand the commissioner’s office and the services that they provide. It’s not just to understand what the clubs need, but you have to lead as well.”
Ng will be taking over AUSL at a pivotal time in the league’s history. This year, there will be a 10-city tour that will take teams to different parts of the country for games and tournaments. The league hopes that will build some buzz as it switches to six city-based teams in 2026.
