Former Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng Named Commissioner of Athletes Unlimited Softball

Kim Ng, who became the first woman in MLB history to serve as a team's general manager, is set to take over the Athletes Unlimited Softball League in 2025.

Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng looks on from the field prior to the game against the New York Mets at loanDepot Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Kim Ng, formerly the general manager of the Miami Marlins, was named commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League on Wednesday.

Ng became the first woman to serve as an MLB GM in November 2020, holding her post in Miami through the end of the 2023 season. Fresh off leading the Marlins to a surprise Wild Card spot, Ng declined her option and hit the open market rather than getting bumped down the chain of command by ownership.

Instead of taking a job in another MLB front office, Ng became a senior advisor to the AUSL in July 2024. It turns out that was just the beginning of her time with the league, as she has now ascended to the top job in professional softball.

"Softball was my first love growing up, so it’s both gratifying and humbling to be given this responsibility at such a pivotal moment for the sport," Ng said in a statement released by the league. "I’m grateful to everyone at Athletes Unlimited and across the softball community for welcoming me with open arms, and look forward to rewarding the faith they’ve placed in me by doing everything I can to ensure the AUSL lives up to its promise to grow this sport at the professional level in the U.S. to new heights."

Ng, 56, played softball at the University of Chicago.

We are excited to announce that Kim Ng has been named Commissioner of the AUSL 🥎

As Commissioner, Ng will be charged with fostering the league’s growth, promoting its brand, and driving its long-term success.

🔗 https://t.co/B4BrU7LyV5 pic.twitter.com/oHPijePsE0

— AUSL (@theAUSLofficial) April 16, 2025

Ng got her start in the Chicago White Sox's front office before becoming assistant general manager of the New York Yankees in 1998. She won three World Series in the Bronx before taking the Los Angeles Dodgers' assistant GM job in 2002.

After a decade with the Dodgers, Ng took over as MLB's senior vice president of baseball operations in 2011. She previously worked in the American League offices in 1997.

Now, Ng will be tasked with establishing and growing the AUSL in its infancy.

Athletes Unlimited staged its first professional softball competitions in 2020, then expanded in 2022 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The upcoming 2025 season will mark the first year of the AUSL, though, with four teams playing 30 games each, compared to the two-week and four-week summer tournaments that used to anchor the league.

While teams will be touring across the country in 2025, the AUSL will become a typical city-based league come 2026.

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