By Tara Murray
The Melbourne Aces are departing the Australian Baseball League to embark on a new journey.
The club announced last week it was moving forward with a bold new vision, stepping beyond the ABL to explore fresh opportunities on the international stage.
“After years of discussions with the ABL regarding unresolved concerns, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the league,” the club said in a statement.
“However, this is far from the end—it’s the start of something even bigger.
“Beyond the ABL, we have proven our ability to compete at an elite level, with successful international matchups against KBO teams that have strengthened our reputation on the world stage.
“While our time in the ABL has come to an end, our journey continues with a thrilling schedule of games, both at home and abroad.”
The club will compete in the 2025 Ulsan KBO Fall League in Korea in October.
The Aces said it had secured home games at Melbourne Ballpark for early next year against prominent KBO teams, with additional games to be announced soon.
“This transition allows us to take the club to new heights, providing fans with an even better baseball experience,” the club said. “The Aces have been at the forefront of Australian baseball, leading the ABL in attendance for the second consecutive season.”
In a letter to fans in the finally days, the Aces said it was clear that their respective views on how to move forward were massively different and clearly those differences could not be reconciled.
“The Aces could not continue on a path we neither believed in nor were prepared to fund any further. The Aces time in the ABL was over,” he said. “To be clear, we do not propose to apportion blame. The ABL is under no obligation to follow the direction advocated by the Aces. We claim no special entitlement. But the ABL was absolutely clear on where we were at and they made their decision. And at the Aces we have made our decision.
“Having determined that we would not be continuing in the ABL, the Aces had two choices. Cease altogether or find another way to play. The financially sound decision would be to stem the losses and shut down. “We have made the more difficult decision to try and find a way to continue on and keep our team together and our fans entertained. Many think that it will be too hard and too expensive and they may well be correct. But we are determined to try.”
In a statement, Baseball Australia president David Hynes said the loss of the Aces to the ABL was a significant loss.
The ABL will continue working with ABL teams and planning for the 2025-26 season.
“We thank the Ralph family, and everyone involved in the Aces organisation for their contribution to baseball in Australia. The Aces have achieved tremendous success both on and off the field over many years.”
