Guelph Royals are looking for a new owner. The asking price? $750,000

There may be a unique gift idea for the baseball enthusiast in your life. But it will cost a pretty penny. CTV’s Jeff Pickel reports.

The Guelph Royals are up for sale, and it will only cost interested buyers $750,000 for the Royal City’s baseball team.

David Schooley, a Kitchener-based real estate broker, was tasked with facilitating the sale.

He said the team hit the market because the current owner moved out of the province.

“They’re buying legacy,” Schooley explained. “For a business owner it gives you all sorts of opportunities to brand your business and connect your business to a local organization.”

The real estate broker said he’s well-suited to handle the transaction because he’s the co-owner of the KW Panthers, who play in the same league as the Royals, as well as the KW Titans basketball team.

“I don’t really look at it as trying to sell a rival team,” Schooley said. “Whatever happens, this is going to be great for the league.”

A listing for the team on Realtor.ca described the sale as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Owning a professional sports team isn’t just a business decision, it’s an identity. In a world where status symbols evolve, few assets carry the timeless prestige of a sports franchise that unites community, commerce and culture under one banner.”

Schooley said, as of Dec. 3, he had received around 10 calls about buying the team, and only six to seven serious inquiries.

The sale also comes as the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) transitions into a fully professional Canadian Baseball League (CBL). As the IBL, the league was technically amateur with strict rules around paying players. The change means the CBL can sign fulltime professional baseball players, with a team salary cap of $120,000 per season.

“By going pro their only job will be playing baseball,” Schooley said.

The number of players, coming from outside Canada, also increases from five to eight.