Canberra Cavalry finally set to enter new era as ABL season set to begin

As the 2020-21 ABL season lurched from one COVID crisis to the next, conversations were bubbling away in the background.

The Cavalry were in trouble.

With home games cancelled, revenue drying up and debt ballooning, the club's owners were struggling to keep the team afloat.

Ward was able to ensure the issues did not affect performances as the Cavalry progressed to the playoffs.

Once the season came to an end, the extent of the struggles were revealed.

The team was $400,000 in debt, lacking sponsors and ultimately put into administration by the previous ownership group.

Eventually Brendon Major and Illya Mastoris stepped in to buy the team and bring an end to the uncertainty.

"Being in the position I was in, I had an idea things weren't quite right on the ownership front from a very early stage," Ward said. "I knew there were other people keen to jump in, whether they were local or interstate and overseas.

"I had a lot of faith in the Cavalry brand and the ABL in knowing the Cavalry would survive."

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Major and Mastoris purchased the club with a long-term vision for the future. At the time, however, they didn't quite realise how long it would take to implement their dreams.

While 2020-21 was filled with hubs, lockdowns and border closures, there were hopes last summer would be restriction free.

Instead the situation deteriorated and the competition was abandoned completely without a pitch thrown.

"It's a little bit like getting the toy you want for Christmas, but not being allowed to take it out of the box," Mastoris said.

The past 18 months have been a struggle, but the owners feel it's provided the chance to lay the foundation for the future.

"We started from zero," Mastoris said. "In a perfect world, we would have had a run in from the previous couple of seasons with sponsors and fans.

"Over time, that inability to show them our product has made it a bit difficult to attract sponsors but we're working our way through that and we'll come out the other side."

This year's competition will mark the first uninterrupted season since 2018-19.

Given how reliant the club is on revenue from ticket sales and food and drink purchases on gameday, building crowds has been a key focus for the new ownership group.

There is optimism a big crowd will turn out for Thursday's season opener against the Sydney Blue Sox at Narrabundah ballpark.

Mastoris is under no illusions of how difficult it will be to rebuild a long-term sustainable fan base. Results on the field, however, will no doubt help.

Tickets start at $20 for adults and $10 for children. A number of themed rounds will be held throughout the season, including pride night, Indigenous night, Canada Day and Japan Day.

"Our primary focus is on getting fans back in the ballpark," he said. "We expect to get back to what it can be and should be.

"On-field success is what every organisation craves, but fan engagement is the litmus test for us. If people are coming back, we're doing something right."

Among the first decisions the new ownership group made was to retain a number of experienced minds.

General manger Sunny Singh, assistant GM Frank Gailey and Ward returned and were tasked with building a winning team.

"We streamlined our delivery," Mastoris said. "We kept Sunny and Frank. Those two have a great amount of knowledge, Sunny with his knowledge of the franchise and history, and Frank with his baseball knowledge.

"Keeping people like Keith Ward and the leadership group helps set the foundation on the field.

"As an ownership group, we're doing everything we can to help. We don't take a salary because we love it, this is our passion project. First and foremost, we want to make sure the Cavalry survives and then grows into what it can become."

While the club has moved on off the field, Ward still has vivid memories of how the 2020-21 season ended.

A four-team double-elimination playoff bracket commenced, however COVID restrictions saw the format change mid-tournament.

That shifted Canberra into a third-placed playoff, even though they had not been eliminated, beating Adelaide before they piled into minivans to escape lockdown.

For those present for the saga, there remains a sense of unfinished business.

"For a lot of the guys on the roster that year, we felt we'd positioned ourselves to have a good run at that playoff series," Ward said.

"We have unfinished business. We didn't have a chance to fight for the Claxton Shield through things outside our control. This year we'll have that chance."

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