Adelaide Crows sell Giants baseball franchise to Pelligra

Property tycoon Ross Pelligra has taken over the Adelaide Giants baseball franchise, ending three years of Adelaide Crows ownership.

Property developer Pelligra has acquired the Adelaide Giants baseball franchise from the Adelaide Crows.

The deal ends three years of Crows ownership, and comes ahead of the start of the upcoming Australian Baseball League (ABL) season which begins in November.

The sale of the licence has been formally approved by baseball’s governing body, Baseball Australia, with Pelligra taking control of the operations immediately.

Pelligra, headed up by multi-millionaire property tycoon and chairman Ross Pelligra, has been investing heavily into South Australia since acquiring the former Holden site in Elizabeth in 2017.

The Melbourne-based investor has snapped up a number of large-scale office, health, industrial and commercial properties across the state, and is planning a major upgrade of Titanium Security Arena after acquiring the basketball stadium earlier this year.

Ross Pelligra has taken over the Adelaide Giants baseball franchise. Picture: Mark Brake

Mr Pelligra, who is also joint owner of Victorian National Premier League soccer club South Melbourne FC, said his company was committed to growing the South Australian sporting landscape.

“We are excited for what lies ahead and the role we can play in building baseball from the grassroots up,” he said.

“We are keen to add to the efforts of those before us and our immediate and major focus will be on supporting the team this coming season.”

The Crows took control of the baseball team in June 2018, when the franchise was still called the “Bite”.

At the time, it was seen as a significant move for the Crows’ off-field operations with the club registering a new entity called Adelaide Sport and Entertainment, whose objective was to oversee the Bite, its eSports team and its video and media content production division.

But the Covid-19 pandemic forced a shift in the club’s strategic direction, and last month the Crows announced they were in discussions to sell the baseball franchise.

In July Adelaide Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said the pandemic had forced the club to take on debt and significantly reduce staffing levels.

The Adelaide Crows took over the Adelaide Bite baseball team in 2018 but the football club has since changed its strategic direction and has sold the franchise. Picture: Dean Martin

“A great deal has changed since the club acquired the baseball licence and like all professional sporting clubs, we have been heavily impacted by the global pandemic,” Silvers said.

On Friday, he welcomed the deal, saying the club had been determined to find a new owner who could drive further growth for the Giants and baseball in general.

“Pelligra has pre-existing relationships and a footprint in the sports and entertainment industry, as well as resources and a long-term vision to deliver positive outcomes,” he said.

“Importantly, the Giants have many hard working and talented players, coaches and staff, and their contracts will be honoured which should ensure a smooth transition.”

Before Adelaide took control, the Bite had been run by Baseball SA.

Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams said the ABL was entering an exciting new era and Pelligra was a “perfect fit” to drive the growth of the Giants.

“They have outlined an exciting vision, both in the short and longer term, that is extremely exciting for Giants fans and the wider South Australian baseball community.”

The Adelaide Giants baseball franchise has been taken over by Pelligra. Picture: Ryan Schembri / SMP IMAGES

Pelligra and the Crows have built a close working relationship in recent months, partnering in a bid to redevelop the former Brompton gasworks site into a new training and administration base for the football club.

The 2021-22 ABL season kicks off on November 18, with the Giants on the road for an away fixture with the Brisbane Bandits.

The Adelaide franchise finished fourth in the Covid-affected 2020-21 season after losing to Canberra Cavalry in the playoffs.