Baseball Queensland, in partnership with the Brisbane Bandits, is excited to announce that the Futures League will once again be coming to clubs in SE Queensland.
The four teams playing in the Futures League Opens competition will begin their quest for the Ash Anderson Cup on Friday night, July 29 and will play Tuesday and Friday nights through early September. The Ash Anderson Cup championship game will be played at Carina on Saturday night, September 10. Featuring Junior League, Senior League and Opens competitions, the Futures League is a joint venture of Baseball QLD and the Brisbane Bandits. This important partnership provides a defined pathway opportunity for Queensland players that goes from U14 and U16 through to Opens (17-24) and on to the Brisbane Bandits development squad or the ABL roster.
BQ High Performance Manager Shayne Watson stated, “Following the success of last year’s inaugural season, I am excited to see the start of the 2022 competition. Seeing the hard work from the Futures League Committee is promising for another exciting season. The Futures League forms the foundation toward the collaboration between Baseball QLD and Brisbane Bandits and will further highlight the extension of the player and coach Pathway Framework for baseballers within Queensland.”
Brisbane Bandits Manager David Nilsson commented, “I was impressed with what I saw last season and I will be paying attention to the Futures League and identifying players to be a part of the Bandits train-on squad. Last season’s Futures League was very successful and I’m looking forward to seeing the talent on the field again.”
BQ Commissioner Mr Chris Norrie added, “For most of us who have been in the baseball community for some time, there was an obvious developmental phase missing from our pathway model – a way to better prepare athletes for college or the ABL. It was important to provide more, higher-quality games. Now, as world travel opens up and we cheer on the wonderful success of the Brisbane North Little League team, we are seeing once again the tremendous opportunities our sport can offer. So, our Futures model continues into the junior ranks with the Junior and Senior League age groups. With our commercial partners and our wonderful volunteers, we hope to continue to provide an extra layer of quality baseball, to fast-track player development and gain better access to all that our sport can provide. I’m really excited by what this model can contribute to BQ player pathways and look forward to supporting all players at all levels who are participating.”
It’s not too late to register your expression of interest for the JL, SL or Opens Futures League competitions. Opens closes now at 5pm on Friday, July 15 and JL and SL close at 5pm on Wednesday, July 27.
Click here to register for Opens (ages 17-24): https://www.baseballqueensland.com.au/player-and-coach-eois-for-futures-league-opens/
Click here to register for JL (U14) or SL(U16): https://www.baseballqueensland.com.au/player-and-coach-eois-for-futures-senior-junior-leagues/