The future of the Auckland Tuatara is in doubt after the club pulled out of this season's Australian Baseball League competition citing
Covid-19 "restrictions and limitations ".
Johny Homza Photo: Photosport
Tuatara chairman Noel Davies said the club's board made the final decision to opt-out of the 2020-21 season on Thursday after an "extensive amount of debate and after countless efforts to make things work".
"Our hands were tied thanks to the Covid-19 outbreak and the restrictions and limitations caused by it," Davies said.
"The travel restrictions, additional costs associated with travel, quarantine costs, player availability, lack of commercial sponsorship in Covid times and the ongoing risk with committing to costs that cannot be recovered if we proceed any further formed the basis of the board's decision.
"We are absolutely gutted. We've poured our heart and soul into trying to push ahead with a season. As the situation has constantly changed we have adapted with it, working in conjunction with the ABL and our rival teams as well as the government and Sport NZ but ultimately it just got too challenging."
However, Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale said the reason for the Tuatara's withdrawal "is best summed up as being due to mismanagement by Auckland".
Vale said the club's owners were now in breach of their ABL licence agreement and had 28 days to address this.
"Whilst the ABL and the other teams see the strategic importance of a New Zealand based team in the league, the ability for Auckland to compete in future seasons is now in serious doubt," Vale said.
Decisions on their future involvement will be made by the league and other teams in due course through the Board of Directors of the ABL.
Auckland's withdrawal follows Baseball Australia announcing earlier on Thursday Geelong-Korea would sit out the upcoming season due to "insurmountable" logistical and quarantine challenges.