Draci Brno and the rest of the Czech Extraliga will start play on Friday. Photo credit: Draci Brno.
Brno, May 20 (BD) — Baseball will start with no fans and slowly add them as the season continues; SK Líšeň restarts the Fortuna:Národní Liga season at home on Tuesday; and the Brno sports schedule.
BASEBALL
Opening Day! (On Friday Night)
Though the start has been delayed by about two months, the Czech Extraliga will have its Opening Day on Friday — at first without any onsite fans but, hopefully, adding fans in the stands as the season progresses.
Brno has three baseball teams: The Draci (who play in south Brno); Technika (which plays on Kravi Hora); and the Hroši (who play in Jundrov). Olympia Blansko is just north of the city. The Třebíč Nuclears are just east of the city. And Arrows Ostrava, the two-time defending champion, is the sixth team from Moravia.
The other four teams in the 10-team league are all based in Prague: Eagles Praha, Kotlářka Praha, SaBaT Praha and Tempo Praha.
In addition to Opening Night, Friday will also bring a big match up because the Brno Draci travel to Ostrava. The Draci are the most successful team in the history of Czech baseball. Ostrava has won the last two league titles. The Friday night game starts at 7 p.m. Then, the two teams will move to Brno on Saturday for a 4 p.m. game.
Technika starts at Olympia on Friday at 7 p.m. and then hosts Olympia at home on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Hroši start at the Nuclears on Saturday at 4 p.m. and return home to Brno on Sunday to host the Nuclears at 4 p.m.
Fans will not be allowed at games for the first weekend. Then, perhaps, the gates may crack open a bit for the second weekend of the season when the social-gathering restrictions are relaxed.
This will be an interesting season. Like everything, it has been adjusted to the restrictions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the 10 teams will play each other twice through mid-July. Then the league will split into the top teams and the lower teams. In the fall, the top teams will play against each other to finalize the seeds for the postseason.
The Draci may be in a good position to return to the pinnacle of the league. Their overall program grows players from a young age all the way through to the top team. The home-grown talent may be a big advantage this year because international players, who are generally the top players, will not play because of the restrictions connected to the coronavirus pandemic.
“No imports are allowed this year and that could be really good for us,” said Martin Kalábek, a spokesman for the team. “We have 11 players who are on the men’s national team and we have a bunch of guys who are on the Under 23 and Under 18 national teams.”
Hynek Čapka is the new on-field manager for the Draci.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
SK Líšeň Restarts F:NL Season Tuesday
The Fortuna:Národní Liga schedule has been updated and there will be plenty of football in the next couple of months.
The good news is that there will be two games a week for the next month and a half.
The bad news is that there will be little access for fans, at least at the beginning.
SK Líšeň (6-6-5, 24 points), which is in eighth place in the standings, restarts the season on Tuesday when they host FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim at 5 p.m.
FC Zbrojovka (10-4-3, 34) restarts the season on Thursday, May 28 at Ústí nad Labem. The game starts at 6 p.m. The first home game, for what it is worth, is Monday, June 1, against Dukla Praha at 7 p.m.
FC Zbrojovka is currently third in the standings, behind FK Pardubice (12-2-3, 38) and FC Vysočina Jihlava (10-5-2, 35). If you want, you can pay 150 kc and provide a photo that will represent you in the stands so that you can, at least symbolically, support Zbrojovka from the home pitch.
Only one round was played in the spring half of the 2019-20 season before it was suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Zbrojovka won 1-0 at home over Sokolov on March 8 and SK Líšeň got a 1-1 tie at fourth-place FC Hradec Králové.
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
The schedule for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the next two weeks. All dates and times subject to change. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Friday, May 22, 2020
— Baseball: Olympia X Technika, 7 p.m.
— Baseball: Arrows X Draci, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
— Baseball: Draci X Arrows, 4 p.m.
— Baseball: Nuclears X Hroši, 4 p.m.
— Baseball: Technika X Olympia, 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
— Baseball: Hroši X Nuclears, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
— Men’s Football: SK Líšeň X FC Sellier & Bellot Vlašim, 5 p.m.
The Brno Sports Report is published every Wednesday. If you have any suggestions for what should be included, please comment below or send an email to bruno@brnodaily.cz.
