Following the World Baseball Softball Confederation's E-Sports blockbuster announcement last week, officially recognizing the online discipline, the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF) is launching Europe's first E-Sports Baseball League on 11 January 2021.
The new online baseball competition, named the Swiss Baseball E-Sports League (SBEL), is the result of cooperation between SBSF and Senior eSports, a platform for gamers over the age of 35.
The SBEL will feature two tournaments. The Junior League, or Under-34, will have 12 participating teams. The Senior League, or over-35, will see eight teams competing. A total of 40 players representing 14 SBSF-affiliated clubs will be involved. This includes former Swiss pole vault champion Marquis Richard, currently playing for the Therwil Flyers.
Regular-season competitions are scheduled to take place on 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 January. The quarterfinals are scheduled for 1 and 7 February. The semifinals are scheduled on 10 February.
The medal games are scheduled on two consecutive Wednesdays: the bronze medal match-up will take place on 17 February, while the championship match will take place on 24 February.
The SBSF Twitch Channel will stream one game every Wednesday at 8 pm local time.
Read also: WBSC approves E-Sports as new discipline
