The Auckland Tuatara baseball team has announced that it will no longer compete in the Australian Baseball League. The team was put into liquidation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a significant increase in business costs. The Tuatara entered the Australian league in 2018 but had to sit out the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
The team’s spokesperson, Dale Budge, said that the impact of Covid-19 over the past three years, the significant increase in business costs, and the loss of income from missing seven of the team’s scheduled 20 home games this past summer had placed a huge strain on finances. Budge added that he did not know the amount owed but said that it was an insurmountable amount.
The Auckland Tuatara basketball team, which competes in the national domestic competition, the NBL, is not affected by the baseball team’s liquidation.
The Auckland Tuatara played their last game in January, losing in the semi-finals to eventual title winners the Adelaide Giants. The team’s liquidation is a sad day for the sport, and it won’t stop talented kiwi kids from having a career in professional baseball, but it’s going to make it more challenging. The Auckland Tuatara basketball team has met all of its financial requirements and is paying players, coaches, and staff.
