Nat Bailey Stadium
The Nat, Nat Bailey Stadium | |
File:Nat Bailey Stadium (logo).png | |
 | |
| Former names | Capilano Stadium (1951–1978) Nat Bailey Stadium (1978–2010) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4601 Ontario Street Vancouver, British Columbia V5V 3H4 |
| Owner | City of Vancouver |
| Operator | City of Vancouver |
| Capacity | 6,500 |
| Field size | Left field – 320 ft (98 m) Centre field – 395 ft (120 m) Right field – 320 ft (98 m) Backstop – 30 ft (9 m) Outfield fence – 6 ft (2 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1951 |
| Opened | July 15, 1951 |
| Construction cost | C$550,000 ($5.64 million in 2021 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | William Aitken[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Vancouver Mounties (PCL) (1956–1969) Vancouver Canadians (PCL) (1978–1999) Vancouver Canadians (NWL) (2000–present) UBC Thunderbirds (NAIA) (2000–present) | |
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Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (known as "The Nat" and commonly by its previous name Nat Bailey Stadium) is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League in the summer and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the spring.
Stadium history
Originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 to honour the work of Vancouver restaurateur Nat Bailey and his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver.
Nat Bailey Stadium is located on the eastern side of Queen Elizabeth Park in the Riley Park-Little Mountain neighbourhood of Vancouver.
The stadium was first home to the Vancouver Capilanos in the early 1950s and later attracted the Oakland Oaks, who became the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, from 1956 to 1962, and 1965 through 1969. The PCL returned to Vancouver in 1978 with the Vancouver Canadians, owned by Harry Ornest. He purchased most of the primary assets of Sick's Stadium in Seattle and shipped them north for use at Nat Bailey.[3] The Canadians stayed in Vancouver through the 1999 season, then relocated south to Sacramento, California. The following season, a second incarnation of the Canadians began playing in the short-season Class A Northwest League.
The stadium's capacity is 6,500. However, there have been over 7,000 fans in attendance at games held on Canada Day. Over 7,800 fans squeezed into the park for Game 4 of the 1994 Pacific Coast League Championship Series between the Canadians and the Albuquerque Dukes.
The Canadians ownership signed a long term lease at Nat Bailey Stadium in February 2007. They have significantly improved and modernized the stadium while also restoring parts of the park to their original 1951 condition. The addition of Bud Kerr Baseball Museum followed in 2008.[4]
The stadium was used as the home of the fictional Santa Barbara Seabirds Class A Minor League Baseball team in the Dead Man's Curveball episode of the television series Psych.
Naming rights
On June 16, 2010, Scotiabank and the Vancouver Canadians announced a naming rights agreement that would rename Nat Bailey Stadium as "Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium".[5]
Services
Food services are operated by Aramark.
References
- ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ http://www.baseball-fever.com/archive/index.php/t-28736.html
- ^ "Good ol' Sicks' for sale – works". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 23, 1978. p. 18.
- ^ "Canadians earn 2013 President's Award". Minor League Baseball. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Vancouver Canadians rename "The Nat"". June 16, 2010.
External links
- Vancouver Canadians
- UBC Thunderbirds baseball
- Baseball Reference – Vancouver minor league teams
- News.com article about Nat Bailey's free Wi-Fi at archive.today (archived 2013-01-19)
- New-look Nat coming together
- Renovations at the Nat adding 750 seats for Vancouver Canadians fans