Co-organized by Taipei City-based Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and local cable TV operator Videoland Inc., Popcorn League is made up of five teams with a combined roster of 200-plus players. Local firms Chii Lih Coral Co. Ltd, Taiwan Cooperative Bank Co. Ltd., Topco Scientific Co. Ltd. and Vee Time Corp. will enter sides, with the ROC national team taking the fifth spot.
CTBA official Yang Ching-lung said the league’s goal is to provide further training to local baseballers. “Our top priority is to cultivate players to represent Taiwan at the 2014 Under-21 Baseball World Cup in Taichung City and 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea.
“This is why the league also welcomes graduating university students to try out for the teams.”
Around 150 U.S. MLB players have also expressed interest in playing for the league. It is expected that each team, except for the national side, will recruit two foreign pitchers and two fielders, according to Yang.
Divided into two rounds, the league’s first season runs May 24 to August 10. Each team plays 50 fixtures, with the inaugural game possibly featuring Taiwan Cooperative Bank and Topco Scientific.
Playoffs are set to begin August 22, Yang said, adding that the schedule will be arranged to include warm-up matches for the national team before its contests at the Asian Games in September.
Game tickets are expected to be priced at NT$100 (US$3.30), with free beverages and popcorn available for fans. Around 150 matches will be broadcast live in Taiwan and abroad by Videoland, the CTBA said. (DF-JSM)
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