Wim van den Hurk, president of the European Association of Professional Baseball, sent out a note that the Euro League Baseball has disbanded all activities around Amsterdam Baseball. All scheduled games – the first two against Draci Brno in May already had been postponed – have been cancelled. Amsterdam would have played against the Buchbinder Legionäre in Regensburg early next week.
Today we are sorry to announce that we’ve decided to stop all activities concerning the participation of Team Amsterdam in the Euro League Baseball for the 2016 season. We believe it’s better to put all our energy in completing the inaugural season on a positive note with the three remaining teams and in the meantime try to find/search for a solution in cooperation with the Dutch Baseball Federation and CEB for the 2017 season.
After all the preparations we’ve taken for Team Amsterdam (roster including Japanese import, coaching staff, uniforms, website, entertainment, ticketing, etc) it’s obviously a big disappointment for us to make this decision but we’re sure that with the results we’ve achieved so far the future of ELB is guaranteed and European baseball looks a little brighter.
The ELB schedule will be adjusted and published in the upcoming days. We are working on a conclusion of the 2016 ELB season with a special event TBD.
The first season of the Euro League Baseball therefore will continue with the two German teams Buchbinder Legionaere and Munich-Haar Disciples, as well as the Czech club Draci Brno. Especially the Disciples had invested a lot into their ELB campaign, including an extended roster and heavy advertising. However even though they see a rise in attendance the investment hasn’t translated into wins on the field. The ELB had to cancel Amsterdam Baseball, as Hoofdklasse players have no approval by the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) to play in the newly founded league.