A Mitchell, SD-based team in the summer-collegiate Northwoods League appears unlikely for 2019, but the door for future entry has not closed completely.
In 2017, the Northwoods League entered into an option agreement with Mitchell that could allow a team in the circuit to use the city’s Drake Field. Under the terms of that agreement–which began last year, and expires on September 1 of next year–the Northwoods League is to notify the city by September 1 as to whether it will field a team at Drake Field the following season.
The most recent September 1 deadline passed without a notice from the Northwoods League that it will put a club in Drake Field in 2019. That makes a new Mitchell team unlikely for next season, though the city indicates that it still has some time on its end. More from The Daily Republic:
“They are not committing to a team for 2019 at this time, but that can still change,” [Mitchell Parks and Recreation Director Nathan] Powell said in an email to The Daily Republic. “Our department does not commit to a schedule until January, so there is still time on our end.”
Per a contract agreed to in May 2017, the league pays Mitchell $1,000 annually for each year it does not play in the city. Once the Northwoods League decides to exercise its option to play, the lease goes up to $10,000 per year to play at Drake Field at the Cadwell Sports Complex.
The agreement also calls for exclusive concession rights and signage rights at Drake Field. That contract between the league and the city expires on Sept. 1, 2019.
The Northwoods League showed interest in Mitchell as an expansion site in 2017 but there hasn’t been much movement since then. Expansion would have to occur in pairs, and the league holds a similar agreement in Huron to use Memorial Park for games.
The Northwoods League fielded 20 teams this season, and two additional clubs have been announced for 2019. That includes the expansion St. Croix River Hounds, along with the Kokomo Jackrabbits, who will shift from the summer-collegiate Prospect League.
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