International Baseball League of Australia
Encyclopedia
The International Baseball League of Australia was a baseball league which existed from 1999 to 2002.
The league was created by David Nilsson after he purchased the rights to the Australian Baseball League in 1999 when it was near financial collapse. The International Baseball League lasted for 3 seasons before Nilsson handed the rights back over to the Australian Baseball Federation
in 2002. Following the collapse there was no professional baseball league until it was announced in 2009 the formation of the new Australian Baseball League
starting in 2010. The idea behind the International Baseball League of Australia was to be a winter league from November to January as a means to help gain off-season competition for players centered in Asia and the United States.
The Western Heelers defeated the Queensland Rams
2 games to 1 in the Championship series held at Palm Meadows
.
The IBLA Most Valuable Player Award for this season was awarded to Chris Snelling
, playing for Country NSW.
at Palm Meadows
, The development league was held between 4 teams; IBLA Internationals, IBLA Australia, MLB All-Stars and the Taiwan National Team. The development league was won by IBLA Internationals who defeated IBLA Australia 2-1 in the Championship game.
format and held at a single venue, the Melbourne Ballpark
. It was competed between all the major mainland states of Australia and a new Australian Provincial team. The 2002 league featured no Development League and no All-Star game.
The Victoria Aces
defeated Western Heelers in the Championship Game 6-5.
The league was created by David Nilsson after he purchased the rights to the Australian Baseball League in 1999 when it was near financial collapse. The International Baseball League lasted for 3 seasons before Nilsson handed the rights back over to the Australian Baseball Federation
Australian Baseball Federation
The Australian Baseball Federation is the national governing body of Baseball in Australia. Baseball is played in all the mainland states and territories, but it struggles for popularity due to the popularity of many other sports, including the comparable sport of cricket, in which Australia has...
in 2002. Following the collapse there was no professional baseball league until it was announced in 2009 the formation of the new Australian Baseball League
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
starting in 2010. The idea behind the International Baseball League of Australia was to be a winter league from November to January as a means to help gain off-season competition for players centered in Asia and the United States.
Formation
- In January 1999 the Australian Baseball Federation announced the agreement to sell the league's license and rights to Nilcorp (David Nilsson's company).
- On 14 February 1999 the Sydney StormSydney StormThe Sydney Storm, originally Sydney Blues were a team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. The franchise won one ABL championship under the former name, defeating the Melbourne Reds in the 1995 championship, also finishing runner-up twice - once against the Brisbane Bandits in 1994, and...
lost the last game of the Australian Baseball League against the Gold Coast CougarsGold Coast CougarsThe Gold Coast Cougars were the re-branded Daikyo Dolphins after major sponsor Daikyo had to end sponsorship of the team due to financial problems with the Australian arm of the company.- See also :*Sport in Australia*Australian Baseball...
in the second of the championship series held at Homebush. - In April 1999 Nilcorp officially signed the license of agreement to run a national baseball league in Australia for the next 100 years.
- In December 1999 Nilcorp began the Claxton ShieldClaxton ShieldThe Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
competition with teams from WA, SA, NSW, Queensland and Victoria. - In November 2000 the International Baseball League of Australia was formed on the Gold CoastGold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
with four teams-the MLB Stars (a team that was made up of USA minor league players, an International team (players from South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, USA, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
), TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and Australia.
Collapse
- On 5 December 2000 the Claxton ShieldClaxton ShieldThe Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
was canceled because due to the poor conditions at the Blacktown Olympic complex. Because of the short notice the International Baseball League was unable to find a replacement venue on such short notice. - In January 2001 the International Baseball League All-Star game gets canceled.
- In September 2001 the International Baseball League is canceled because of "destabilizing" impact that terrorist attacks on America.
- In April 2002 the International Baseball League in Australia collapses and is no more.
Teams
- Australia ProvincialAustralia ProvincialAustralian Provincial compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. Provincial were formed for the 2002 International Baseball League of Australia Championship, since 2003 they have competed in the Claxton Shield....
2002 - IBLA Australia 2001
- IBLA Internationals 2001
- MLB All-Stars 2001
- New South Wales Country 2000
- New South Wales PatriotsNew South Wales PatriotsNew South Wales Patriots compete in the Claxton Shield baseball championship in Australia.The Patriots were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as New South Wales until 1988 when the Claxtion Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
2000, 2002 - Queensland RamsQueensland RamsQueensland Rams compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. The Rams were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as Queensland until 1988. Between 1988 and 1999, the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
2000, 2002 - South Australia Bite 2000, 2002
- Taiwan national team 2001
- Victoria AcesVictoria AcesThe Victoria Aces are an Australian baseball team who compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship. One of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934, they competed until 1988. Thereafter the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League until 2002...
2000, 2002 - Western Heelers 2000, 2002
1999-2000
The 1999-2000 season was conducted as a National League with a team based in each of the major Australian mainland cites and a second team based in Country New South Wales. The development league and All-Star game were not held in this season.The Western Heelers defeated the Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams
Queensland Rams compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. The Rams were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as Queensland until 1988. Between 1988 and 1999, the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
2 games to 1 in the Championship series held at Palm Meadows
Palm Meadows
Palm Meadows International Baseball Facility is an Australian baseball field located on the Gold Coast, Queensland. It is owned by Hungtat Worldwide Pty Ltd and is leased through Gold Coast city council...
.
The IBLA Most Valuable Player Award for this season was awarded to Chris Snelling
Chris Snelling
Christopher Doyle Snelling is a former Major League Baseball outfielder of Christopher Doyle Snelling is a former [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]] of Christopher Doyle Snelling is a former [[Major League Baseball]]...
, playing for Country NSW.
2000-01
The 2000-01 season saw the National League and All-Star game canceled with the Development League being held on the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
at Palm Meadows
Palm Meadows
Palm Meadows International Baseball Facility is an Australian baseball field located on the Gold Coast, Queensland. It is owned by Hungtat Worldwide Pty Ltd and is leased through Gold Coast city council...
, The development league was held between 4 teams; IBLA Internationals, IBLA Australia, MLB All-Stars and the Taiwan National Team. The development league was won by IBLA Internationals who defeated IBLA Australia 2-1 in the Championship game.
2001-02
2002 was the final season of the IBLA, The league reverted to the traditional Claxton ShieldClaxton Shield
The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
format and held at a single venue, the Melbourne Ballpark
Melbourne Ballpark
The Melbourne Ballpark is home to baseball and softball in Victoria, Australia. It was built in 1990, with a seating capacity of about 5000, although in recent years seats along the base lines have been removed and replaced with standing room area leaving the only seating in the main grandstand.The...
. It was competed between all the major mainland states of Australia and a new Australian Provincial team. The 2002 league featured no Development League and no All-Star game.
The Victoria Aces
Victoria Aces
The Victoria Aces are an Australian baseball team who compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship. One of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934, they competed until 1988. Thereafter the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League until 2002...
defeated Western Heelers in the Championship Game 6-5.