Baseball league to open doors for FNC | Northern Rivers Sport | Local Sports in Northern Rivers

THE Far North Coast could become a major player if a proposed national baseball league gets up and running in 2010.

While there’s little prospect of establishing a franchise in Lismore, several local players could feed into a team based on the Gold Coast and it’s likely games could be played at Albert Park.

Federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis yesterday committed $400,000 to plans for a new Australian Baseball League.

The Australian Baseball Federation and US-based Major League Baseball have entered a joint partnership to establish the competition.

Ten years after the old ABL was disbanded, there is an aim for the new national league to start in October 2010 featuring teams from all states and territories.

Far North Coast Baseball media spokesman Geoffrey Hallmann said last night that it was unlikely the Far North Coast could afford a franchise of its own.

“I don’t think we could contemplate it,” he said.

“It would just be such an enormous cost that I don’t think we could really justify it here.

“I’ve heard rumours (a team in the new league) would be based around the Gold Coast.

“Whatever happens, whether it is one or two franchises, we’d do the same thing as we’ve done previously, when we supplied players to the Brisbane Bandits and three versions of the Gold Coast.”

With some of the best baseball facilities in regional Australia, Hallmann said Lismore could also expect to host ABL games.

“We have certainly had the best crowds at ABL events and we will certainly pick up ABL games here,” he said.

He cited James Linger, Dan Muggleton, Nick Shailes, Dallas Knapp and Jack Jeffery as players who could feed into an ABL franchise.