Some of the world's best youth softball teams are not coming to Sussex County this summer.
Little League International canceled the 2020 Senior League Softball World Series scheduled for Roxana, Delaware, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tournament Director Martin Donovan said logistics was a factor in the decision.
“Right now, we don’t know who’s coming. So, even if the teams could play and they won, you still got the travel bans to consider,” Donovan said. “It just brings a lot of unknown factors to the point where Little League made the decision to not have regional tournaments and World Series this year.”
Donovan said Sussex County will feel the impact.
“I know in just our case we spend a little over a quarter million dollars to put in on,” Donovan said. “The time you put the motels, the caterers, the buses, it’s just all the things to that extent. It has a big impact for that week.”
Donovan said the week-long tournament will return to Roxana next summer. He adds officials are encouraging local and district leagues to hold their regular seasons depending on their respective states’ restrictions.
The Senior League Softball World Series has been held mostly in Roxana for the last sixteen years. It is one of seven international tournaments under the Little League umbrella. All of those tournaments have been canceled this year.