Fans welcome home the 2024/25 ABL champions, the Canberra Cavalry. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The Canberra Cavalry owners are confident the club will survive after pulling out of the upcoming Australian Baseball League season.
A brief social media statement on the Canberra Cavalry Facebook page has rocked the baseball community, but there are hopes the move effectively saved the club.
The Cavalry announced that they would be pulling out of the 2025/26 Australian Baseball League season due to ongoing uncertainty following the withdrawal of Melbourne and Sydney.
This would have effectively left the ABL as a four-team competition.
It was a significant decision to pull out, given the Cavalry won the title last season against the odds, winning the playoffs away from home.
Cavalry co-owner Paul Kelly said withdrawing from the league for the upcoming season wasn’t made lightly.
“It wasn’t something we jumped into. When Melbourne pulled out, and then the owners said they were pulling out of Sydney, it obviously caused concern. Discussions have been taking place for the past six weeks before we came to our decision.”
Paul Kelly emphasised that he and fellow co-owner Adrian Dart opted to pull out to ensure the long-term viability of the club.
“Ultimately, we have invested in the club, but more importantly, this is our sport; we want the ABL to survive. It was a tough decision, but it was done with long-term viability in mind. If we didn’t make this decision, we were concerned that the Cavalry could disappear forever.”
Mr Kelly said it was important for the league to now have a reset for the 2026/27 season. The Cavalry hopes to keep their licence and be part of a revamped league.
“The league has to change; there needs to be some clean air now. I’m committed to keeping the Cavalry alive. We are keen to be part of the future.”
Canberra Cavalry manager Jack Murphy is a fan favourite. Photo: Canberra Cavalry Facebook.
The Cavalry’s withdrawal comes at an important juncture, with the club recently appointing fan favourite Jack Murphy as the manager.
“I really feel for Jack. We worked hard to get him here from the US in the first instance.”
Fans who have bought membership packages have been contacted via email.
Questions will now be raised as to whether the sport can bounce back and reform with at least six teams in the 2026/27 season.
UPDATE 2:10 pm: The Australian Baseball League has posted a statement saying it was confident the ABL would go ahead this season and that a new owner could be found for the Sydney Blue Sox, disputing an assertion that Sydney had pulled out.
The ABL said in the statement that Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and a potential new owner have all stated their desire to play baseball this summer in at least a four-team format.
