Ten years after it folded as a financial wreck, the Australian Baseball League (ABL) has been relaunched in a new format designed to bring some of the world’s best Down Under.
The six-team league has already attracted some of Australia’s biggest names from America’s Major League, with Ryan Roland-Smith, Trent Oeltjin, Luke Hughes and Brad Thomas all committing to the inaugural season.
ABL chairman Mark Peters believes that with the involvement of the Major League, plus having the ABL designed as an off-season alternative to the American competition, the Australian league is finally here to stay.
“We don’t want to be where we were ten years ago, with a lot of disappointed people,” Peters said at the launch on Thursday.
“There’s been a lot of learning experiences and as the players know, there was a lot of good things happening ten years ago.
“But we had to make sure, and convince Major League Baseball, that the model put in place was sustainable.
“This is an investment of some significance by Major League Baseball and they don’t do things lightly.
“They’re a world brand and a very successful brand.”
The competition, which starts on November 6 and runs until February, is designed as a winter league to compete with the likes of Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela rather than as a rival to the MLB.
Minnesota sensation Hughes said helping the new competition be successful means a lot to Australia’s international stars.
“It does, it’s very exciting for us and we just can’t wait to get out there and actually play next week,” he told AAP.
“It’s something we’ll remember and it’s something that means a lot to us because it comes back on our shoulders knowing how much we’ve put this into league.
“We’re the ambassadors right now and it’s something that will fall back on our shoulders (if it fails).
“We want to see this succeed so that ten years down the track there will be kids with something to aspire to and want to play in the Australian Baseball League.”
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