Tuesday 20th November 2007
Australian Baseball Federation Announcement

The Australian Baseball Federation is delighted to announce that 'Meat and Livestock Australia' has become the new Premier Sponsor of the Australian National Baseball Team for its 2007 Friendly Tour of Japan

In announcing the sponsorship agreement, John May, CEO, Australian Baseball Federation said:
“We would like to formally welcome Meat and Livestock Australia to what we hope will be the first of a number of initiatives for Australian Baseball in this region
Fortunately, we have enjoyed a strong association with Austrade, and their involvement has been crucial in finalising this arrangement”

Within the agreement, MLA will place its logo on the Australian playing top for the Japan Friendly Games which will be televised in the region by “TV Asahi”

Commenting on the sponsorship, Travers Nicholas, Deputy Regional Manager for MLA Japan said:
“MLA is committed to the promotion of Australian red meat in Japan particularly beef and sheepmeat
The support of the Australian National Baseball team fits well with our key objectives of improving the image of Australian red meat by associating healthy lifestyle and highlighting the nutritional benefits of eating Australian beef and lamb"

Billed as the Japan-Australia Friendly Baseball Games, the match-up between Australia’s best and what will potentially be one of the strongest Japanese sides ever assembled, is sure to ignite the interest of fans, with the two sides virtually inseparable in international competition dating back to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens

The Australian team will fly into Fukuoka straight from the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Taipei, the culmination of an intensive program that could see the Aussies play as many as 16 games in the space of 24 days

Japan will use the two games against Australia, to be played November 22nd and 23rd at the Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome, as immediate preparation for the Asian Olympic Qualifying series starting in Taiwan in early December