To Our Members,

I just wanted to provide an update regarding COVID-19 and its impact on the Sport and Recreation Sectors.
As you may have seen, Baseball Australia are postponing the National Little League Championships. (Read Baseball Australia’s full statement HERE)

We are aware of the impact this decision will have on many of you who have been preparing diligently for the upcoming State and National Titles. It is disappointing that the Championships will be delayed however Baseball NSW remain committed to ensuring that the Health and wellbeing of its members remain the priority and support Baseball Australia in this decision. We will continue to work with Baseball Australia,  the Office of Sport, NSW Health, Sport NSW, State Sporting Organisations and the various communities we serve to deal with this emergency as best we can.

Additionally, he Australian Government has announced new community sport guidelines to combat the spread
of COVID-19. We encourage you to strictly adhere to these guidelines in the best interest of our players, parents
and wider community. (COVID-19 Community Sport Guidelines issued to National Sporting Organisations)

This follows ongoing consultation with Sporting Organisations and is focused on providing relevant advice
on change room access, physical contact, travel, and social distancing and hygiene practices.

These guidelines were developed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC),
comprising all state and territory Chief Health Officers and is chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy.

Mass Gatherings
On 18 March 2020, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard made an Order under Section 7
of the Public Health Act 2010 to force the immediate cancellation of major events with more than 500 people.

The object of this Order is to deal with the public health risk of COVID-19 and its possible consequences by giving a Ministerial direction that prohibits mass gatherings of 500 or more people in outdoor spaces and 100 people or more in indoor spaces, subject to certain exclusions.

Section 10 of the Public Health Act 2010 creates an offence if an individual fails to comply with a direction with a maximum penalty of imprisonment for six months or a fine of up to $11,000 (or both) plus a further $5,500 fine each day the offence continues. Corporations that fail to comply with a direction are liable to a fine of $55,000 and $27,500 each day the offence continues.

For more information, refer to Public Health (COVID-19 Mass Gatherings) Order 2020

Further Information
We are committed to keeping the sport and recreation sectors up to date as the situation evolves.
Links to further information can be found below:

• Office of Sport COVID-19 Information
• NSW Health, NSW Health Services.
• Commonwealth Department of Health
• Australian Institute of Sport
​
Your sincerely,
Mark Marino
Chief Executive
Baseball NSW

Please see below link to download as PDF.

In addition to our regular baseball, this will affect the postponement of the following major events:

• 2020 Australian Women’s Championships 
scheduled for 10-17 April 2020, has been postponed until further notice

• 2020 Performance Pathway Program
scheduled trials for this were planned for April but will now be postponed into May

• 2020 Super Series – scheduled to begin 19 April through to 31 May has been
postponed until further notice

• 2020 Charter Little League State Championships
–
2020 Junior and Intermediate League State Championships – scheduled for
10–13 April, this has been postponed until further notice
–
2020 Little League State Championships – scheduled for 16-19 April, has been
postponed until further notice
–
2020 Senior League State Championships – scheduled for 21-24 April, has been
postponed until further notice

• 2020 State League Finals

• 2020 Womens League Finals

• 2020 Winter League Competitions – scheduled to begin in April will be postponed until Saturday, May 2nd

The 2020 Player Development Program, in which trials were to begin this April, will recommence at a date to be advised once the worst of this has been contained and we have a clearer understanding of the future ahead.
In regards to the 2020 Little League State Championships, we will continue to review how these can be restructured and rescheduled for a later date to hopefully allow participation in the National and International event(s).
All of these championship arrangements are fluid and further decisions will be made on the reschedule of state events based on the timelines provided by Baseball Australia regarding their national championships. Baseball Australia’s timelines for review of its national events are contained in their full statement.

Baseball Australia is in an ongoing dialogue with Little League International with respect to eligibility, and the rules for timelines around participation in events, which all parties have conceded will need to be flexible as event timing continues to shift. Currently the 2020 Winter Season with our various Associations is now scheduled to
commence in early May. Consultation with the Winter Associations will be ongoing regarding the start of their seasons. We expect that training for the winter season will be affected by this hiatus, and as soon as it practical we will confirm the start time for the season, all training can recommence.

Please note that as of today, the Baseball NSW office has enacted its ‘Work From Home Plan’. The Baseball NSW landline telephone will be diverted accordingly, and you can still call this number at any time. All staff are available directly via mobile and email. You can find information on how to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy from the NSW Health Services. All further updates from Baseball NSW will be found here on the Baseball NSW website and will also be communicated by the Baseball NSW social media channels.

Please see below link to download announcement. 
​

 A MESSAGE FROM BASEBALL NEW SOUTH WALES REGARDING THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
(12 MARCH 2020)
 
We would like to re-assure the Baseball NSW community that we are closely monitoring the updates regarding the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the Government of Australia’s and Government of NSW’s Departments of Health, as well as Baseball Australia, Sport Australia and the AIS.
 
Presently there are no restrictions on events where large numbers of people congregate, but we are conscious of the need to monitor any developments with COVID-19 and will act in accordance with the advice from the relevant authorities.
 
Baseball NSW will provide additional information to our members as it becomes available and endeavor to keep our community updated on any disruptions to the delivery of regular programs or events, should they occur. The health and well-being of our participants is our highest priority, but it is important that people remain calm and act on the best health advice available.
 
For general advice on COVID-19, please refer to the Victorian Government Health website, https://www.health.nsw.gov.au
 
For sport specific advice, please refer to the AIS webpage, dedicated to providing evidence based, real time advice, including travel as well as FAQs relating to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
​