Dear Baseball Families,

On behalf of Baseball New Zealand, I hope you've had a wonderful holiday break and that the New Year has started out wonderfully for you and your entire family. As I'm sure you are all aware by now, the ABF cancellation late last year by the tournament organisers dramatically shifted our plans for both our Under-14 and Under-17 national baseball teams.

The cancellation led us into a regional search for the best on-the-field opportunity for both age groups--and this is a search that continues today. However, this is obviously something that Baseball New Zealand would like to wrap up quickly so that we can put in place the proper training schedule for both clubs, as well as provide all of you with adequate notification to schedule trips and family time around prospective tournaments.

At this moment, we are awaiting notification about a possible series of games for both age groups in Brisbane during the April break. For now, this is the most promising trip on our horizon. However, the BNZ board of directors will meet on January 20th, and we will attempt to finalise details and then let all of you know what the next steps will be.

We are proceeding cautiously with the selection of playing opportunities for our national development squads because of the cost factor and the simple fact that we want what all of you want: the best opportunity for our young ballplayers to excel on the field...in the best playing environment that we can locate for them.

Once again, thank you for your patience during this time. Either myself and/or a member of the coaching staff from both clubs will be calling the members of our two national development squads in the coming days to discuss Baseball New Zealand's forthcoming decision with the families involved, as well as answer any questions that you may have.

We will speak with you soon.

With regards,

Ryan Flynn
Executive Officer
Baseball New Zealand
021 665 339