{"id":2190145,"date":"2025-12-07T14:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T14:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2190145"},"modified":"2025-12-07T14:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T14:56:19","slug":"guelph-royals-up-for-sale-as-160-year-baseball-legacy-begins-new-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/guelph-royals-up-for-sale-as-160-year-baseball-legacy-begins-new-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"Guelph Royals up for sale as 160-year baseball legacy begins new chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"

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They\u2019ve been around since before Canada was a country, and soon the Guelph Royals will start a new chapter in their long and storied history as it secures a new owner.<\/p>\n

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For more than 160 years, the team has been a familiar presence in the city.<\/p>\n

Now, with the team officially up for sale, that legacy is looking for its next steward.<\/p>\n

The current owner, Shawn Fuller, who purchased the Royals in 2017, confirmed he is stepping aside after moving out of Ontario and said he wants to hand the team over to an owner rooted in the community who can \u201ctake it to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tMembers of the Guelph Royals gather on the field during a home game.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\t\t\t\t\tGuelph Royals Baseball Club\/ Facebook\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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To help find that successor, Fuller has turned to Kitchener-based realtor and sports entrepreneur David Schooley, who is handling expressions of interest and guiding the sale, listed at $750,000.<\/p>\n

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Schooley told Global News a new team would cost roughly $1 million to establish, making $750,000 the floor price for a franchise like the Royals.<\/p>\n

For Schooley, taking on the sale of the Royals goes far beyond listing a property \u2014 it taps into the world he\u2019s lived in for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is somewhat of an honour,\u201d he told Global News, adding that he approached the owner because he genuinely believed he was the right fit. \u201cI suggested to him that I was the most qualified person to sell this team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With nearly 40 years of business experience and ownership roles with both the KW Titans and the Kitchener Panthers, Schooley said he understands not just the business side of sports, but the community spirit behind it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live sports day to day. I live sales day to day,\u201d he said. \u201cSelling a sports team is not like selling any other business. There\u2019s a bit of passion to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tFans line the edge of the field during a Guelph Royals game.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\t\t\t\t\tGuelph Royals Baseball Club\/ Facebook\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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Part of that passion, he says, comes from understanding how deeply baseball is tied to the identity of communities like Guelph.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Royals have been around since 1861. Before we were Canada, they were playing baseball in Guelph,\u201d Schooley said. \u201cWhen you have legacy teams in your city, sometimes it\u2019s easy to take them for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interest in purchasing one of the country\u2019s oldest baseball clubs is already growing. Schooley told Global News he\u2019s heard from former athletes, business owners and local entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really quite surprised at the number of inquiries we\u2019ve had,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n