Geelong’s baseball to hit a home run

Andrew Mathieson
GEELONG has been earmarked for one of the franchises in a proposed national baseball league.
Australian Baseball Federation chairman Mark Peters said hopes for a Geelong club could rest with improved spectator facilities at the region’s baseball centre at Waurn Ponds.
“Ultimately we want to see a three to five thousand-seat stadium,” Mr Peters said.
“The important thing for us is that we play at baseball venues because that is where you get spectators close to the game.”
A new competition of either eight or ten clubs would replace the defunct Australian Baseball League that folded in 1999.
The Australian Baseball Federation has promised to incorporate regional centres under its blueprint for the league that will be established from 2010.
Mr Peters said Geelong would be in the mix depending on the number of starting clubs.
“Outside of the five capital cities, Geelong has a great support for the game,” he said.
“So it’s the Geelong region, the Gold Coast, Canberra and Central Coast – they are the ones that have been thrown up as possibly where we would drive other franchises.
“People always talk about putting a second team in Melbourne or a second team in Sydney, but that won’t necessarily be the case.”
Geelong baseball authorities have indicated their interest, but have said hopes for a Geelong team would rest with the City of Greater Geelong further upgrading its baseball facility.
A City Hall spokesman said council was keen to “maximise” the potential of local stadiums such as the Geelong baseball complex and was in regular contact with Geelong baseball officials on possibilities for developing local baseball at all levels.
Council has already spent millions of dollars on the baseball centre to attract Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines and Australia’s national team to play at Waurn Ponds.
Geelong state league coach Nathan Holmes, who played in the former ABL, said despite the playing surface being “probably the best in Australia”, a lack of seating held back the bid.
“There would be a fair bit of infrastructure required to make sure the facility was up to standard,” he said.
“We have talked to the council about what we need to do and they have been very supportive.”
More toilets, food outlets and parking would also have to be improved for the amenities to cope with thousands of fans, he said.
Geelong club president Larry Meager hoped the venue would at least regularly co-host games involving a Victorian team.
Geelong Football Club is the city’s only team in a national sporting competition, after the Geelong Supercats folded from the National Basketball League in 1996.