Intercounty Baseball League welcomed over 180,000 fans in 2024

More than 40,000 fans came out to watch the Intercounty Baseball League’s London Majors at Labatt Park in 2024. Photo: Matt Hiscox

October 7, 2024

Official Intercounty Baseball League News Release

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is celebrating an unforgettable 2024 season marked by record-breaking achievements both on and off the field.

Including regular season and postseason games, a grand total of 184,758 fans flocked to IBL stadiums, setting a benchmark for the future of the IBL.

The 2024 season saw record-breaking attendance for several individual teams such as the Welland Jackfish who welcomed 42,384 fans into Welland Stadium, shattering their previous record of 33,361 fans in 2023. The London Majors also broke the 40,000 plateau, welcoming 40,010 fans into the world's oldest continuously operated ballpark. The Hamilton Cardinals also set a new attendance record. The 2024 season saw an overall increase of 49,552 fans, including the addition of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers who sold out every game in their inaugural season at Fergie Jenkins Field.

“The 2024 season has been a landmark year for the Intercounty Baseball League,” said IBL commissioner Ted Kalnins. “From the All-Star Showdown, to our mobile App, to the immensely successful first season of the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers, to record-setting attendance by many teams and the league as a whole, the IBL continues to raise the bar and provide fans and players with a one-of-a-kind, intimate baseball experience.”

On the field, the talent has never been better. In the IBL Finals alone, there were 12 players with MLB or affiliated minor league experience. This year fans enjoyed watching talented imports from Cuba, Japan, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Panama and the USA.

The Barrie Baycats won the IBL Dominico Cup in historic fashion, with a perfect 10-0 record in the Playoffs. The IBL also set new records for corporate sponsorship and YouTube viewership of live games.

With the 2024 season now in the books, the IBL looks ahead to an exciting 106th season in 2025, as the league builds on this season’s excitement and continues delivering top-tier summer baseball to communities across our footprint.