The Australian Little League Championships are the pinnacle of Charter Baseball in Australia, where the best young talent come together across three divisions to be crowned Australian Champion.
The Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship is celebrating its 10th edition this June in Lismore NSW, and is now joined by the Australian Junior League Championship (May, Adelaide SA) and Australian Senior League Championship (May, Lismore NSW) as the premier national youth charter competition.
Baseball Australia are pleased to announce a re-branding of the Australian Little League Baseball Championships to embody the national team colours of Australian Baseball, providing a clearer link between Little League and the potential pathways to national team programs.
Australian Little League stays true to the principles of Little League International, with participation at its core. However the divergence from the traditional Little League International colours of red, white and blue identifies the Little League Championships as truly Australian.
Following the successful rebranding of the Australian Women’s Championship and National Youth Championship logos, incorporating the traditional green and wattle of Australian sport, the decision was made to re-brand the Australian Little League logos to further identify the potential pathway to various national teams and programs.
Since the inaugural Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship in 2008, the Australian Little League program has thrived, with Australian Championships now extending to the Junior League (12-15 year olds) and Senior League (13-17 year olds) divisions.
2017 will go down as another history making year in Australian Little League Baseball, as the winners of the Australian Senior League, Junior League and Bendigo Bank Little League Championships will automatically qualify for their relevant World Series for the first time ever, foregoing the Asia-Pacific Qualifier and representing the Australia region on the most prestigious stage Little League Baseball has to offer.
The first championship to display the new logo will be the Australian Senior League Championship, which will take place from 14-19 May at the Albert Park Baseball Complex in Lismore, NSW.
Baseball Australia Head of Little League Mathew Sundstrom has seen first hand the transformation of Australian Little League, and is excited to usher in what he sees as a massive step forward for the program in Australia.
“With the tenth edition of the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship this year, it was a great opportunity to refocus our Australian Little League logos and what they represent,” Sundstrom said.
“With the enhanced alignment to the national programs, we’re proud to re-launch the new Australian Little League logos. A lot of time and effort has gone into to the re-design of these logos, and we feel that after a number of years using the red, blue and white colour scheme, we’ve given little leaguers a clearer understanding as to the opportunities that Little League can bring.”
As the 10th edition of the Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship approaches, the number of high quality baseballers coming through the program is immense. Twin brothers Alex and Lachlan Wells represented Newcastle in the 2008 and 2009 editions, with both building impressive careers in the USA, signed by the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins respectively as well as representing multiple underage Australian teams.
Another Little League alumni doing big things in the US is Zac Shepherd, with the 21-year-old taking his place on the Hills North team that won the inaugural Australian Little League Championship. Shepherd is in the midst of his fourth full season with the Detroit Tigers after claiming a Silver Medal at the 2016 U23 World Cup.
Australian Senior League Championship Homepage: http://littleleague.org.au/ASLC
Australian Junior League Championship Homepage: http://littleleague.org.au/Junior-League/Australian-Junior-League-Championship
Bendigo Bank Australian Little League Championship Homepage: http://littleleague.org.au/Little-League/Bendigo-Bank-Australian-Little-League-Championship