Ottawa Champions left without a league to play in for 2020
Posted Oct 16, 2019 07:39:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Ottawa Champions no longer have a league to play in next season after a massive merger between its former league and another pro baseball outfit.
Five former members of the Can-Am League decided to merge with the nine teams in the Frontier League, Wednesday.
While the Quebec Capitals, the Trois-Rivières Eagles, the Sussex County Miners, the New Jersey Jackals and the Rockland Boulders are set to join the new league, the Champions were not included in the deal.
According to Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee, Ottawa was originally part of the merge, but the timing turned out not to be right. But that doesn't mean all hope is lost for the future.
“When we got going there wasn't a valid lease for Ottawa,” Lee said. “But we have been having wonderful talks with the city. Ottawa is one of the city's we hope and plan on having in the Frontier League in 2021.”
The city had ended its lease with Ottawa Champions owner Miles Wolff back in June of 2019. Wolff experienced financial set backs and has been struggling to make rent payments. He defaulted on a payment to the City of Ottawa in September and now owes over $400,000.
Two groups have expressed interest in leasing out Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT) Park, with the city also hoping a new group would take over the existing debt.
It's not known at this point how the Ottawa Champions not playing in 2020 will affect the groups' interest in leasing the baseball stadium.
