Eager Beaver Baseball’s 66th season was left standing at the plate in 2020. Preseason indoor clinics and registration had begun, but COVID-19 stopped the games before the season officially started. Despite hoping and waiting until June to hear the call ‘play ball,’ the board of EBBA was forced to cancel the season.
Luckily, the prudent fiscal planning by the board in previous years, in addition to the generous support of sponsors, made it possible to fully refund the over 250 players that had registered by mid-March and also cover all annual expenses such as insurance, office rent, and registration costs, while still leaving EBBA financially viable.
The uncertain times ahead make it difficult to plan a day or two ahead, let alone months. However, EBBA has started tentative plans for the 2021 season. Permits have been secured for indoor clinics starting in January. The school board should announce in December if the permits will be activated. Park improvements were on hold for 2020, but improvements to Mornington Park are still planned for 2021, and plans to move the Bantam and Midget programs to Citywide are still being implemented.
EBBA will continue to offer a house league program for players 4 to 21 years old similar to the program that has been offered in the past. However, new input and direction are always welcome. This upcoming season will require many new volunteers to help implement the added protocols regarding COVID-19. Please contact info@ebba.ca to get involved in shaping London’s longest running youth sports program.
Information on the 2021 season will be posted on the website as it becomes available.
Submitted by Eager Beaver Baseball Association
