Telus Field
| Telus Field | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 10233 96 Avenue NW Edmonton, Alberta T5K 0A5 |
| Opened | May 2, 1995 |
| Owner | City of Edmonton |
| Surface | FieldTurf (infield) 2005 to present Astroturf (infield) 1995 to 2004 Natural grass (outfield) |
| Capacity | 10,000[1] |
| Field dimensions | Left: 340 ft (100 m) Centre: 420 ft (130 m) Right: 320 ft (98 m) |
| Tenants | |
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Edmonton Cracker Cats/Capitals (PCL) (1995–2004) |
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Telus Field (nicknamed the Phone Booth) is a baseball stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is home to the Edmonton Capitals formally [2]of the independent North American League, and was home to the former Edmonton Trappers, an AAA baseball team of the Pacific Coast League. The Trappers moved to Round Rock, Texas, and became the Round Rock Express after the 2004 season. The facility is located in the North Saskatchewan River Valley, on the south end of Downtown Edmonton.
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[edit] History
Opened in 1995, Telus Field replaced the 60-year-old John Ducey Park (formerly Renfrew Park) on the same site. The stadium's naming rights were purchased by the Telus telecommunications company in September 1995 for a 14-year deal.[3] It has 12 feet (3.7 m) walls all the way around except in centre field, where the batter's eye is a 34-foot (10 m) green monster which is the third highest wall in professional baseball;[4] no player has ever hit a home run over it. Telus Field is a well-regarded ballpark in North America, and had the highest ratings for best ballpark for eight years straight by Triple A Best Ballparks.[citation needed] Telus Field held the IBAF World Cup Women's baseball in the summer of 2004, as well as the CFL all stars charity softball game. From July 25 to August 3, 2008, the park held IBAF AAA World Junior Championships for the 7th time since it started in 1981.
[edit] Features
Telus Field is a unique baseball stadium in that the infield uses FieldTurf but the outfield is natural grass; originally AstroTurf was used but it was replaced in 2005 with the more modern type of turf, FieldTurf. The infield is artificial turf for a variety of reasons: the turf is less costly to maintain, the artificial surface allows for a better drainage system so the infield can return to a playable state quicker than a grass infield would, and to minimize damage to the infield when concerts are held at the stadium.
Another unique feature of Telus Field are the ground-level luxury suites. Club and general seating are built on top. The Home Plate VIP Lounge (accessible by stairs or elevator) is located directly behind the plate and that includes a bar and a restaurant with a view of the field from inside. Seating is also an option outside. The award-winning lounge includes trophies and pictures of the early Edmonton baseball teams and can seat up to 250 people.[5]
With a seating capacity at 9055,[6] Telus Field is the second largest minor league baseball stadium in Canada after the Ottawa Baseball Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. The largest game attendance was 10,098 against the Las Vegas 51s. The dimensions are 340 feet (100 m) to left field, 378 feet (115 m) to left centre, 420 feet (130 m) to centre field, 395 feet (120 m) to right centre and 320 feet (98 m) to right field which makes it the largest playing surface in Canada.[citation needed]
There are two barbecue picnic pits located down the foul lines in between the dugouts and the bullpens that seat about 150 to 300 people.
The stadium concourse features pictures of historic moments in Trapper history, including Ron Kittle's 50-home-run season. There are also pictures from every Trapper championship and trophies.
[edit] Concerts
Concerts have been held at the stadium on rare occasions:
- 1995 concerts included Tom Cochrane; Jeff Healey; The Beach Boys; The Village People and others.
- 22 August 2001: Blink-182 with Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, Sum 41
- 25 August 2009: Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, Dean Brody, Mike Plume Band
- 4 September 2009: Bryan Adams
- 28 August 2010: Rock the River West Tour (featuring Skillet, Flyleaf, Hawk Nelson, Starfield, Downhere, and Tedashii)
[edit] References
- ^ World Stadiums Stadiums in Canada: Alberta
- ^ "Edmonton Capitals withdraw from baseball league". Edmonton Journal. February 21, 2012. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Edmonton+Capitals+withdraw+from+baseball+league/6186137/story.html. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Spector, Mark (1995-09-08). "Ball park has name until end of 2009". Edmonton Journal (Edmonton Journal): pp. C.3.
- ^ [1]
- ^ nlfan.com: Edmonton Cracker-Cats Home Plate Club
- ^ Ticketmaster: Telus Field Retrieved on 9 February 2010
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 53°31′54.91″N 113°29′46.63″W / 53.5319194°N 113.4962861°W
