Following Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcements made this afternoon on the return to stage three lockdown restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, Baseball Victoria confirms the shutdown of all baseball activity in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire area for the next six weeks, starting at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 8 July 2020.
This shutdown will mean no training for seniors or juniors, in-person committee meetings or club events. The Baseball Victoria Aces Academy will be postponed for the next six weeks. Click HERE for Academy details.
These restrictions apply to metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, while there have been no changes announced to current restrictions across regional Victoria.
This means Continued Activity in the form of non-contact training for seniors and full training and competition for juniors may move forward for Bendigo Baseball Association, Geelong Baseball Association, Latrobe Valley Baseball Association, North Eastern Baseball Association and Sunraysia Baseball League.
Baseball Victoria is seeking clarification with Sport and Recreation Victoria for any additional requirements on continued regional sport, and updates will be communicated accordingly.
The restrictions as they apply to metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire include the following local government areas:
| Banyule | Hume | Mornington Peninsula |
| Bayside | Kingston | Nillumbik |
| Boroondara | Knox | Port Phillip |
| Brimbank | Manningham | Stonnington |
| Cardinia | Maribyrnong | Whitehorse |
| Casey | Maroondah | Whittlesea |
| Darebin | Melbourne | Wyndham |
| Frankston | Melton | Yarra |
| Glen Eira | Monash | Yarra Ranges |
| Greater Dandenong | Moonee Valley | |
| Hobsons Bay | Moreland |
Baseball Victoria continues to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation and how it affects our baseball members and wider community. We remain in regular communication with the Winter Associations, Winter Clubs and Victorian Summer Baseball League Clubs to discuss these restrictions and how they apply to Victorian baseball.
For the remainder of this evening, Tuesday, 7 July and tomorrow, Wednesday, 8 July, we remain under the current restrictions including lockdowns of ‘hotspot’ postcodes, with the full list of affected postcodes available in our previous update from Saturday, 4 July.
“The situation is changing every day, and we are closely consulting with Sport and Recreation Victoria and Vicsport to confirm all changes to restrictions and updates to Victorian Government guidelines,” Baseball Victoria CEO Kristie Middleton said. “It’s clear that Victoria is dealing with critical COVID-19 challenges at the moment, and we need to remain vigilant to protect baseball while preparing for the future.”
“This significant change today means we return to where we were several months ago, shutting down baseball across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire. Although another shutdown of baseball activity is understandably disappointing, we recognise the need for it and we will be following the Government’s direction to support our clubs and the health and wellbeing of our greater baseball community,” Middleton said. “We will continue to monitor all Government announcements for further changes so that we can assist our clubs with their Continued Activity and Return to Play in regional Victoria, so long as it is safe and possible to do so.”
The news of the return to lockdown in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire follows several announcements made in the last week, including the lockdown of hotspot postcodes and the decisions of Melbourne Winter Baseball League (MWBL), Dandenong Baseball Association (DBA) and Geelong Baseball Association (GBA) to cancel all or part of their seasons. Baseball Victoria understands that there are many changes occurring daily and updates that need to be made.
Baseball Victoria encourages our members to seek information from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Resources for tips on staying healthy and safe during lockdown and access to adequate assistance as necessary. Click HERE to view the Victorian Department of Health and Human Resources website.
As we have done since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Baseball Victoria will continue to liaise with Winter Associations, Winter Clubs, Victorian Summer Baseball League Clubs and the relevant Government authorities to discuss our options and plans for moving forward.
Following on from previous announcements, Winter Associations will provide further details on their senior and junior programs via their communication channels. Click HERE to view Winter Association details.
Baseball Victoria continues to liaise with the Victorian Summer Baseball League Clubs to confirm the commencement dates and details for summer baseball.
Regional members are reminded that to Return to Activity you must register – click HERE to select your club from the Baseball Victoria website and complete your registration.
The Baseball Victoria COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions have been updated – click HERE to review the changes.
Baseball Victoria will update the Return to Activity/Play Plan to assist baseball clubs throughout this transition. Visit the Baseball Victoria website for the latest updates.
In addition, we have our Ramp Up to Play: Drills and Exercises Program on our website and BV TV YouTube channel to prepare athletes for a return to activity and play.
If you have any questions please contact Baseball Victoria, with full contact details available HERE.
As a reminder, the COVIDSafe app is now available and will allow authorities to quickly track and control the spread of COVID-19. Please consider downloading the app to help save lives, protect the community and get baseball back as soon as possible. Click HERE to learn more.
For up-to-date information on keeping your family safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website HERE.
All further updates from Baseball Victoria will be available on the Baseball Victoria website and will also be communicated by the Baseball Victoria social media channels.