The Regina Red Sox will soon have new owners in the Queen City Sports & Entertainment Group (QCSEG). On Friday morning it was announced that Regina’s WCBL team will be fully owned by the subsidiary of the Brandt Group of Companies, with the deal expected to close Oct. 1 pending approval from the league’s board of governors. “It was absolutely essential to secure the future of the Red Sox as a representative in the Western Canadian Baseball League,” Red Sox vice-president and governor Al Simpson said at a press conference Friday. “That is what’s occurred.” With the acquisition, the Red Sox join a growing group of other local sports organizations owned by QCSEG, that has included the Regina Pats. “This is more than a transaction,” QCSEG owner & CEO Shaun Semple said. “It’s really about the fulfillment of a dream, a unification of two great teams and storied franchises here in Regina with the Pats and the Red Sox.” Founded in 1913, the Red Sox are Canada’s oldest baseball franchise. The team has won six Southern Baseball League championships, two Saskatchewan Major Baseball League championships and two titles in the Western Canadian Baseball League, where they currently compete. For years, the team operated as a non-profit, using the support of fans and hard work of volunteers to stay afloat. Red Sox president Gary Brotzel says times have changed. “You can see the rapid growth [in the WCBL],” Brotzel said. “And with that growth, our expenses have gone through the roof exponentially. The common denominator to this in the WCBL is private ownership.” “Once in a while, maybe it makes a few dollars,” Semple told reporters. “You never want to invest a ton of money into something. But we’re not getting into this because of that.” “We believe coming together, we can market [the Red Sox] better,” he added. Currie Field replacement For well over a decade, the Red Sox have lobbied municipal officials for a new stadium to replace the team’s current home Currie Field. “This has been a dream of mine for 10 years,” Brotzel said. “I’ve been after the three previous mayors trying to get something going with a new facility – to the point where they saw me downtown, they would cross the street.” “It’s time. We can’t keep kicking this can down the road,” he added. Currie Field is more than 60 years old with infrastructure well past its life span and not able to the standard of the WCBL, the team told city councillors in July 2024. “Our visiting teams change in an Atco trailer,” Brotzel said. “There is lots of room for improvement.” Last July, council allowed the Red Sox to begin a campaign to obtain funds to conduct a feasibility study for the possibility of a new baseball stadium at either The Yards on Dewdney Avenue or the former Taylor Field site. Simpson says that work continues and findings of the study are expected soon. “We have gone through that study” he said. “As far as location goes, there [are] others besides the rail yards. But I think the Railyards is a location that has been an underutilized asset in the City of Regina for at least a decade.” Along with the purchase of the team, Semple also committed to supporting the Sox’s efforts in getting a new ballpark. “We’re going to do everything we can to provide all the resources the team needs to ensure [fans] have a world class experience each time they come,” he said. “Sure, we can do it at the current stadium, but with a new stadium I think we can do a lot more. “
