September 15, 2020

Official Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) News Release

The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is committed to the Edmonton Prospects Baseball Club as it navigates the 2021 season while a new home ballpark is being built in Spruce Grove.

“They will split games among a few Edmonton-area parks, as well as play a couple ‘home dates’ in Sylvan Lake, Okotoks and Lethbridge. So, it will be a bit of a traveling road show for a year until they open their new stadium,” said WCBL President Kevin Kvame.

Pat Cassidy, the president of the Prospects, said the 2022 relocation to Spruce Grove will place the team a short distance from its old home at RE/MAX Field.

“Prospect fans will soon understand that the new ballpark is only eight minutes off Anthony Henday Drive – Edmonton’s ring road – and is being developed as a major regional entertainment facility,” noted Cassidy.

“With a new ballpark comes new excitement and I can guarantee fans that our marketing and promotional teams are committed to the continued growth of our brand and game-day experience. While baseball and the WCBL is our primary business focus we intend to bring concerts, tournaments and other major baseball events to this facility.”

Kvame expressed disappointment with the arrival of a new tenant at RE/MAX Field, which he called an “invasion of our historic footprint” in the City of Edmonton.

“The league made good faith attempts to facilitate a solution in Edmonton from the get go,” Kvame said.

“Edmonton is a city with fans that deserve to be part of a Canadian league, run by passionate Canadians, with a focus on Canadian college baseball players.”

The WCBL, which previously went by the name Western Major Baseball League, has a decades-long history in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

According to Ballpark Digest, six WCBL franchises made the Top 100 in summer collegiate average attendance in 2019, including the Okotoks Dawgs at third place (3,937 fans per game) and the Edmonton Prospects in 14th with an average of 2,102 onlookers at each home date.

“Our fans, in growing numbers, appreciate our promotion of the game in Canada and the opportunities we provide Canadian players to take the field alongside top Americans,” said Kvame.

“Our fans also value the historic Canadian rivalries we offer.”

In addition to the ongoing construction of baseball stadiums the WCBL has provided to Alberta – in Sylvan Lake and Spruce Grove – the league is excited to show off recent improvements at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, where the Dawgs have added Core 4 (+14) Corner. The exciting development includes an iconic viewing perch of 52 front-row seats that wrap around the left-field foul pole, reminiscent of the Green Monster seating at Fenway Park in Boston. As well, the expansion features multiple hospitality patio areas and a new visitors clubhouse.

The Dawgs will play host to the 2021 WCBL All-Star Game & Home Run Derby on July 24th, where they will have a chance to show off the stadium’s new features to the fullest. The expansion Sylvan Lake Gulls, meanwhile, will welcome fans to their inaugural Opening Day festivities on June 11th.