Australia to get new Baseball league.

[Timbo]

Australia to get a new Baseball League in November 2007
EXCLUSIVE


Austadiums.com can exclusively reveal that Major League Baseball and Australian Baseball will be announcing a new national competition to commence in November 2007. Shane Tonkin, the Events Manager of Baseball WA, revealed that the competition would include 6 teams from around the country and that Fox Sports was interested in broadcasting the competition.

As the Barbagallo Perth Heat lead the country in crowds, it’s a major boost to the sport that the Major League Baseball are seeking to invest into a national competition in Australia. According to Shane Tonkin it would be 75% funded by Major League Baseball and 25% funded by Australian Baseball, who would pay out all the contracts from its head body on the Gold Coast.

The Major League would align itself a club to one particular state with a number of venues speculated to hold a national league team. In Queensland, the Sports & Athletic Centre (formerly ANZ Stadium), Palm Meadows and Carrara Stadium have been mentioned, New South Wales would utilise Bankstown Olympic Stadium, Victoria would choose between either Altona or Geelong, while South Australia are still in the process of choosing the venues they would use in the national league.

Australian Provincial would be based out of Canberra, while the Barbagallo Perth Heat would be based out of Tom Bateman Reserve in Thornlie.

Shane Tonkin said that the Australian Baseball League is interested in expanding after 3 or 4 years, but is careful not to dilute the corporate market in these cities. “What happened in the past, QLD, NSW and VIC had two teams…corporate dollar was spread pretty far…I don’t think they will get expanded till they get established”.

The season would run over four months from November 2007 to February 2007 initially, before reverting to a 6 month season after the initial season.

The format would be on the Australian Rugby Union model, which would pay the players on a centralized system, however after two years, Tonkin said that this could be bought by a franchise. “The salary cap would be Major League Baseball own 75% and Australian Baseball 25%, so all the funds will be provided out of the head office in Gold Coast…after two years, will have the power, to sell off the individual franchises”.

It’s believed that Fox Sports are interested in broadcasting the Australian Baseball League to viewers around the country.

Australians will be seeing the best baseball players in the world, strutting their stuff, with the Major League investing in the competition to keep their players active in the off-season.

“The reason why they want to invest in Australia, Major League Baseball has nowhere to send its players in the off-season…A major league team would be affiliated to one in Australia”.

By Chris Egan
egan@austadiums.com

 

[joel caine number 1 fan]

mad ill def watch it

 

[Sharkie™]

i miss the good old days of heading out and watching the Sydney blues/storm play. only baseball i have been to recently was the claxton shield and that had a full house (even though the grandstand was very small)

 

[miccle]

AWESOME! I too remember the good ol' days of watching the Bandits play at the RNA showgrounds before things got worse and worse.

I still enjoy playing baseball, but the major league often frustrates the hell outta me. Can't wait to have another league here - Baseball, A-League, Cricket and NBL will keep me nice and busy throughout the 'off-season'.

 

[c_eagle]

They're better off putting the money in T3, that'll be a better investment.

 

[Big Mick]

hope this happens

 

[Bomber]

It would be the biggest example of pissing money down the drain ever seen in the history of Australian sports. Even if MLB teams were to pay 75% of expenses and costs, there is no way that this would be remotely profitable.

As C_eagle said, stick to Sol's T3 shares instead, at least you'll still have them in 2008.

How would 500 fans in a 50,000 seat stadium look to potential investors?

 

[Big Mick]

If Major League players come down here and it gets promoted well I think there would be a market for it.

Considering Soccer is getting decent crowds, imagine if Ronaldinho etc came down to Australia, you'd get people through the gates then, 3 times as many now.

If they promote it as the best players in the world coming to Australia to play, I think they would get crowds. Mix the teams with the most promising Australian players, not only will these players benefit, and possibly score a major league contract, I think the public would get into it as well.

I used to go to the baseball all the time when it was played before, and they always got 3,000-4,000 to a game that wasn't even promoted.

The market is there, they just need to promote it and the fans will turn up.

Not everyone likes cricket in the summer months...remember that.

 

[Manda4Broncos]

I loved the Bandits too.
Was a tragedy what happenned with the whole Gold Coast/Brisbane political disaster and Dave Nilsson take over the league.

This is the best news since the Broncos won the premiership.

 

[Tom Shines]

I loved the Bandits too.
Was a tragedy what happenned with the whole Gold Coast/Brisbane political disaster and Dave Nilsson take over the league.

This is the best news since the Broncos won the premiership.

That's exactly what ruined the sport in this country — Nilsson taking over.
Would be sensational, especially if it gives my kids something to look forward to playing in.

 

[Engine]

Baseball in this country would never work. Crap product.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Can't wait for this comp to get up and running, they should hold a few promo MLB games over hear (maybe from the pre-season competition, due to the hectic schedule that the players face over there. I went to a few games last year on a baseball tour to America, and I would say that one of the games (San Diego Padres vs Colorado Rockies) was one of the top 3 sporting events I have ever attended, and it would make my year if I could see some big name players go around. (I could of seen my beloved Yankees play at the Angels ground, but our tour organisor was a Rockies scout, and could get us to meet a few of their players).

 

[marshall stalin]

What they need to do is make it an international comp with the following countries competing and being based here - of course the players won't be top level but at a high enough level - each team is allocated to a state/territory

* Cuba - Queensland
* Italy - NSW
* South Korea - Western Australia
* China - Northern Territory
* Japan - Tasmania
* US - Victoria
* Australia - ACT
* Canada - South Australia

 

[Tom Shines]

Pah! I'm not going to watch an Italian team play.

 

[Milo7]

What they need to do is make it an international comp with the following countries competing and being based here - of course the players won't be top level but at a high enough level - each team is allocated to a state/territory

* Cuba - Queensland
* Italy - NSW
* South Korea - Western Australia
* China - Northern Territory
* Japan - Tasmania
* US - Victoria
* Australia - ACT
* Canada - South Australia

What are you on about? Thats f**king rediculous......:lol: