The Campbelltown Ghosts era of the Club really began with the start of participation in the major Sydney baseball competition under license from the Summer 1973-74 season.
Still holding home games at the single-diamond Hurley Park, the now 're-named' Club (which, for a brief period between 1979-82, was also known as the Campbelltown Baseball & Recreation Club) began to look towards the future and a potential move to new playing fields created by Campbelltown City Council at the corner of Woodland and Karrabul Roads, St Helens Park.
The fields took the place of a former rubbish tip which had operated to maximum capacity through to the 1970s. In late 1980, the Club bade farewell to Hurley Park and took up residence at the new grounds (Woodland Rd Baseball Complex), home to the Club ever since.
The following year Council moved an old weatherboard house to 'Woodlands' and placed it on temporary piers, selling it to the Club for the sum of $1.
The house would spend the next 29 years as the Club's canteen, meeting rooms, storage and Presentation Day venue.
The temporary piers were built by Ghosts Major Leaguer and ex-Colonials Junior, George Butcher, who was a local 'brickie'. George also built Woodlands' original amenities block and equipment storage bunker in between Catcher duties.
1981 also saw the playing of the first night baseball game on the Woodlands main diamond using the floodlighting and towers which remain in place today. These had been transferred from the Oriole Park Stadium at Auburn and installed the previous year.
As the Club moved into the 80s, Ghosts' Major League sides were supported by the Bradbury Braves Junior Baseball Club which played in brown and yellow. Braves teams trained at Woodlands but played at what is now the Rosemeadow soccer fields alongside Appin Road.
With the Club rapidly expanding, Council levelled an area of bushland to the southeast of the main diamond forming what we now know as our 'top' fields.
This area was left bare after the clearing and it subsequently took more than 18 months before training could be safely carried out there. Junior teams would spend 30 minutes at the end of each training session picking up rocks which dotted the diamonds.
The emerging suburb of St Helens Park began surrounding Woodlands by the mid-to-late 1980s. As a result, the 'top' fields which were now good enough to be regularly hosting Senior and Junior games had to be restricted to Juniors only given the amount of balls finding neighbouring roofs.
During 1986, tragedy struck the Club when emerging elite Ghosts Under 16 player, Richard Allsworth, was lost in a car crash on Appin Road along with his brother. A legacy from the terrible event was the inauguration of the Richard Allsworth Trophy which is still awarded today.
The following year saw the first staging of a Seniors Winter competition in the Macarthur. The Club entered a combined side with the neighbouring Caspers Baseball Club and competed against eight other sides. Ghosts continues to participate in this competition today.
The Seniors continued on into a new season for Summer 1987-88, the first of what is now considered the 'main' season for each year. Ghosts has been consistently successful in all of the grades offered through this competition ever since.
By the late 80s the Bradbury Braves could no longer financially support Ghosts' Major League teams so meetings were held with the Macarthur Baseball League (MBL). Subsequently, the Club's Major League license was transferred to the MBL.
The Braves formally merged with Ghosts in 1987 and moved to Woodlands, consequently playing as Ghosts from that point forward (the Club was briefly referred to as the Campbelltown Bradbury Baseball Club between 1987 -90).
As the next decade began, Woodlands' previous life as a tip came back to haunt it with subsidence taking hold. In 1990 the fields had to be closed for the only time in the Club's history as the playing surface was re-levelled. Woodlands remained out of action for 18 months.
Fortunately the rest of the 90s were relatively smooth for the Club. With the new century looming, on 1 November 1999 the Club became an incorporated association under relevant state legislation.
In the same year, the Club was successful in gaining the sponsorship of Wests Leagues Club through its Sports Council for the first time, beginning an association which continues today.
Ghosts is the only local Club which enjoys this support, with Wests' contribution allowing the Club to keep costs for Juniors to a minimum. Many Club individuals and teams have also been recognised through Wests' programs including their Sports Awards.
