EABA & NEZ MOU Announcement

NEZ & EABA MOU ANNOUNCEMENT
In 2019, Northeast Zone Baseball (NEZ) and Edmonton Amateur Baseball Association (EABA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that effectively provided a AAA pathway for all players across east Edmonton. NEZ offers rep baseball in A, AA and AAA under the Padres brand while EABA offers rep baseball in A and AA under the Angels brand – each organization also operates an independent house league program. Players wishing to tryout for AAA within the NEZ & EABA catchment areas are to tryout with the Edmonton Padres.
This year, the MOU will be enhanced to pool players at the AA level for the 15U and 18U ages. Those players demonstrating abilities just under the AAA level will have an opportunity to develop within a AA+ roster with the intention of competing at a higher tier while players still developing their skills or those with less experience will have the opportunity to play AA baseball with a purely developmental focus. 13U AAA will continue to run as normal while 13U AA and 11U AA programs will remain under the brands of Padres and Angels without player pooling. TeamGenius, an app-based player evaluation and tracking tool, will be implemented across NEZ & EABA to monitor, provide feedback and track overall development of all players within the rep programs throughout each season and offseason as well as year-over-year.
“The idea is to provide players with a level of programming, development and competition that best matches skill, commitment and expectations of the players and families across east Edmonton at 15U and 18U,” stated Technical Director John Sutherland. “Whether that’s AAA, aspiring AAA at the AA+ level or development-first focus at AA, this refined strategy across the player pool at these age groups will create pathways for player progression.”
In 2020, 18U AA+ will be Angels branded and 18U AA will be Padres branded. At 15U, AA+ will be Padres branded and AA will be Angels branded. Coaches for each team will be vetted using a coaching qualifications rubric created by the Edmonton Padres Task Force Team responsible for overseeing strategic direction of Edmonton Padres rep programs. NEZ and EABA will be represented within the coach selection committee and ultimately within the coaching staffs. The Technical Director will support all teams with tryout and evaluation processes, roster selection, pre-season camps and practices as well as in-season rotations.
“We’re excited to strengthen our partnership and to see more players from southeast Edmonton progress through their minor baseball experiences with options to play from house league to the highest levels,” said Jen Hagen, President of EABA.
Players interested in trying out for AAA should attend Padres tryouts running March 6-14 (AAA rosters set Sunday, March 15). AA players are also encouraged to attend the AAA tryouts. Those who don’t make a AAA roster, and those interested in AA will have AA+/AA tryouts beginning on March 16. Rosters for AA+ and AA teams will be set by early April. Players living in NEZ catchment (north of the river to city limits and St. Albert Trail east to city limits) must first register with NEZ while players living in EABA catchment (south of the river to city limits and Calgary Trail east to city limits) must first register with EABA before tryouts. Tryout dates and details are available below or at www.edmontonpadres.ca and www.eabaseball.ca.
“We believe that the Edmonton Padres offer the most comprehensive baseball program within the region and this new AA+ strategy strengthens our relationship with EABA, provides players with a more clear developmental path toward their baseball goals and helps us to more effectively distribute coaching talent across the east Edmonton region to ensure that all players have the experience best suited for their development each year,” said Dave Ball, Baseball Director for NEZ Sports Council.