The Australian Baseball League will likely forge ahead with a four-team competition as part of a professional “reset” after Canberra joined Melbourne in announcing their withdrawal.
A statement from the Cavalry on Saturday explained that the competition’s uncertainty prompted them to not take part in the 2025/26 season “in the best interest of the long-term viability of the Canberra Cavalry and the ABL as a whole”.
The statement, which also referenced the exit of Sydney, claimed their licence had not been handed in and they expected to be included in plans for the following season.
However, the ABL says the Cavalry’s licence will be handed in and the league is adamant the Sydney Blue Sox will take part, with the league in talks with potential licence holders.
The ABL is adamant the Adelaide Giants, Brisbane Bandits, Perth Heat, the Sydney Blue Sox “and a potential new owner have all stated their desire to play baseball this summer in at least a four-team format”.
“This presents a great opportunity to strategically reshape the league, while still hitting the board’s objectives of the development of Australia’s new, emerging and existing high performance talent,” ABL general manager Paul Gonzalez said.
“A reset is needed into how a professional baseball competition in Australia operates.
“The board are highly supportive and there are productive conversations with teams as to what a season looks like now and into the future.
“We are excited to be working with four teams in preparation of the Australian Baseball League in 2025-26 and motivated to work with ABL licence holders who understand the league should still exist and not on hold.”
Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams said the response to the Aces’ and Cavalry’s exits proved the care and passion for the product.
“People are now seeing the reality of the challenges faced in operating an ABL by both the league and its teams,” he said.
“We have a journey ahead, but that’s when we do our best work.
“It’s an opportunity to reset, reshape and deliver generational change to our great game in Australia.”
A fixture is scheduled to be released in July.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/baseball/cavalry-halted-in-pro-reset-for-aussie-baseball-c-18725340
