The Australian Baseball League has announced it is pushing back the start of the 2021/22 season by a month amid the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams today confirmed that ABL management are now targeting a mid to late December start to the season to allow scheduling to occur with greater clarity on Australia’s COVID-19 restrictions.

“With each day that passes it is becoming less likely that we will be able to play the opening rounds as planned due to the current COVID-19 status in Australia and with the various border restrictions in place,” Williams said.

“By making an early call to delay the start date our aim is to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on the season and give clubs the best chance of playing in front of home fans.”

Williams said it was too early to lock in a new start date and schedule for the season with so many unknowns, but the ABL and its clubs were fully committed to finding the best solution as quickly as possible.

“We will continue to monitor the COVID situation and plan according to the advice and responses of the federal and state governments,” he said.

“We hope to be in a position to provide a clear path forward, including a start date and format of the season, in mid to late October.

“We thank our fans, players, clubs and corporate partners for their unwavering support during these challenging times.”

The Canberra Cavalry were scheduled to play their first match against the Melbourne Aces on 18 November.

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