After 3 years of absence due to funding, with the support from the sports administration the revival of the Popcorn League was announced today. The popular industrial league tournament will start November 2017 with total of 10 industrial teams participating, playing 35 games each.
2017 Popcorn League teams
- 台灣電力 (Taiwan Power Company)
- 合作金庫 (Taiwan Cooperative Bank)
- 崇越隼鷹 (Topco Falcons)
- 綺麗珊瑚 (Chii-Lih Corals)
- 台北興富發 (Taipei City)
- 新北市 (New Taipei City)
- 台中運動家 (Taichung Athletics)
- 航空城 (Taoyuan City)
- 台南市 (Tainan City)
- 中華培訓隊 (Taiwan Junior National Team)
Popcorn League starting today! Feature 9 industrial league teams & junior national team that will participate in 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. pic.twitter.com/mCqHjooVWD
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) November 4, 2017
Taiwanese junior national team
The Taiwanese junior national team will also take part this tournament. Instead of playing as a team, they will be divided and send to each of the 9 industrial league teams as hired gun throughout the duration of the tournament.
*The organisation end up deciding not to break apart the junior national team. So now they will compete as a team. Which brings the total teams in 2017 Popcorn League to 10.
Clashing with CPBL Winter League
Since the university all-star team (junior national team) will participate in the 2017 Popcorn League, they won’t be able to send a team to CPBL winter league which set in late November. With university all-star team pulling out this year, there’s some idea of inviting a team from the ABL (Australian Baseball League).
Background and History about the Popcorn League
Popcorn league was established in 2014 after VL Sports failed to obtained the CPBL broadcasting rights. The idea was to create a premium semi-pro industrial league tournament with foreign players and former professional players on the roster.
Total 6 industrial league teams participated in the 2014 league playing 50 games each, and each team is required to have 1 foreign and 4 foreign players on the active roster. The foreign players/ coaches salaries was partially funded by the broadcaster VL Sports.
Few notable former Popcorn League players
- 羅嘉仁 (Lo Chia-Jen) – Houston Astros – Signed with Fubon Guardians after
- 陳俊秀 (Chen Chun-Hsiu) – Cleveland Indians – Signed with Lamigo Monkeys after
- 陽耀勳 (Yang Yao-Hsun) – Softbank Hawks – Signed with Lamigo Monkeys after
- 邱浩鈞 (Chiu Hao-Chun) – Amateur – Signed with Uni-Lions
- 許基宏 (Hsu Chi-Hung) – Amateur – Signed with Chinatrust Brothers
- 江忠城 (Chiang Chung-Cheng) – Amateur – Signed with Chinatrust Brothers