The Israel Baseball League (IBL) is moving the Petach Tikva Pioneers team to Jerusalem in an attempt to draw more fans in the league's second season this summer. The league said that leaving the capital out of the league was a "giant omission [that] was obvious to many fans." The team will be known as the Jerusalem Lions but will play its games at Gezer Field until a home field can be prepared in two years. The league said it hopes to draw the capital's hundreds of thousands of American tourists, youth groups and students from the US.
"Our problem was finding a site in Jerusalem that could accommodate pro baseball requirements,” said Ami Baran, the IBL’s Director of Israeli Operations. "However, we have been working under the leadership of the Jerusalem Foundation in getting a particular parcel designated as a baseball field and it is clear that enough progress has been made on that score for us to start planning for baseball in Jerusalem."
Fans in Petach Tikva still will be able to attend many games at the next-door Baptist Village field, which hosts games for the Netanya Tigers, the Ra’anana Express, and the Tel Aviv Lightning.