Adelaide will host 12 Australian Baseball League games across seven days in January as part of a hub.
Brisbane, Canberra and Perth will join hosts Adelaide in an international broadcast-friendly four-team hub at West Beach from January 14-20 under a partnership with the South Australian Tourism Commission.
Two games of the 2021 Women’s Showcase, which will feature the country’s top female players and be broadcast, will also be played at West Beach as part of the SATC’s support.
A state-of-the art Trackman unit, which provides enhanced analytics for player evaluation and development, will also be installed for use by the Giants, visiting ABL teams and Baseball SA and its affiliate clubs.
Ticket information will be released with the schedule. Fans or members are encouraged to get in touch with the Adelaide Giants at [email protected] if they have any questions.
Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale said the SA Tourism Commission’s support of a hub had helped ensure the ABL season moved ahead.
“It’s no secret planning for the upcoming season has been a challenge, but we’re moving forward with a positive outlook thanks in large part to the SA Government’s support,” Vale said.
“A seven-day, 12-game broadcast-friendly Adelaide hub is a huge highlight on the calendar of the upcoming season and has potential to become a permanent fixture.
“We’re also thrilled to head to Adelaide as part of the Women’s Showcase as we move closer to launching a professional women’s league in Australia.”
Two games will be played on each day of the ABL hub with Sunday 17 January, set aside for a Women’s Showcase doubleheader.
SATC Events South Australia executive director Hitaf Rasheed said it was important to look to the future and for SA to host national sporting events.
“We’re very happy to support the ABL’s revised season and to welcome some of Australia’s best baseball talent in South Australia early next year,” said Ms Rasheed.
Adelaide Giants executive general manager Shane Smallacombe was grateful for the government’s ongoing support.
“Without their support it would have been difficult to provide our fans with the opportunity to see us play in Adelaide this season,” he said.
“The Giants and South Australian Government have forged a strong relationship in the past 12 months, through sports diplomacy and now events.
“We look forward to growing our mutually beneficial relationship and exploring several exciting opportunities for the Giants and South Australia over the coming years.
“The Giants have been a leader in driving the completion of the women’s baseball pathway and we are thrilled to see this become a reality.
“The community and corporate interest in the women’s team has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The State Government matched a $50,000 investment from Baseball SA, Diamond Sports and the Giants for upgrades to West Beach prior to South Korea’s Lotte Giants visiting earlier in the year.
Baseball SA general manager Sarah Kelly was thrilled West Beach would host 14 more top-level games.
“We are grateful for the support that the SA Government have shown baseball in our state over the past 12 months and we’re thrilled all eyes will be on Adelaide for six days of ABL action,” she said.
“Hosting two of the historic women’s games is also a massive coup and gives members of our growing women’s programs a platform to strive for.
“Having technology such as Trackman installed at the facility will add a great deal of value for all users of the ballpark.”
The full revised six-team Australian Baseball League schedule will be released soon. Domestic and international broadcast details will be released next week, along with the host of the other two games in the Women’s Showcase.
