RE/MAX Field
 | |
  Edmonton Ballpark Location in Edmonton | |
| Former names | Telus Field (1995-2015) |
|---|---|
| Address | 10233 96 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta |
| Owner | City of Edmonton |
| Type | baseball stadium |
| Executive suites | 30[1] |
| Capacity | 10,000[2] |
| Field size | Left: 340 ft (100 m) Centre: 420 ft (130 m) Right: 320 ft (98 m) |
| Surface | FieldTurf (infield) (2005–present) Astroturf (infield) (1995–2004) Grass (outfield) |
| Opened | May 2, 1995 |
| Tenants | |
| Edmonton Trappers (PCL) (1995–2004) Edmonton Cracker-Cats/Capitals (NAL) (2005–2011) Edmonton Prospects (WMBL) (2005, 2012–present) Fort McMurray Giants (WMBL) (2016) | |
Edmonton Ballpark (formerly Telus Field, stylized as TELUS) is a baseball stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has served as home to several minor league baseball clubs, currently the Edmonton Prospects of the Western Major Baseball League; its last affiliated tenant was the Edmonton Trappers, a AAA Pacific Coast League club, and its most recent tenant was the Edmonton Capitals, an independent team that has been inactive since 2011. In 2016 the Prospects were granted naming rights to the facility as the old name had expired. The facility is located in the North Saskatchewan River Valley, in the neighbourhood of Rossdale.
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] Three players, Matthew LeCroy, Michael Cuddyer, and Todd Sears have hit home runs over it.[5] Telus Field held the IBAF World Cup Women's baseball in the summer of 2004 and from July 25 to August 3, 2008, the park held IBAF AAA World Junior Championships for the 7th time since it started in 1981. Despite Telus's naming rights expiring in 2009[6] the stadium continued to use the name Telus Field until opening the 2016 season as Edmonton Ballpark,[1][7] or simply Ballpark.[8] Being displaced by the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, the Fort McMurray Giants played their inaugural season at Edmonton Ballpark.[9]
Features
Edmonton Ballpark uses natural grass in the outfield and FieldTurf in the infield; originally AstroTurf was used but it was replaced in 2005 with the more modern type of turf, FieldTurf. Artificial turf was chosen for lower maintenance costs, because it 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.
The park has ground-level luxury suites with box and general seating built on top. The Home Plate VIP Lounge on the main concourse is located directly behind the plate, incorporating a bar and a restaurant with a view of the field from seats inside and outside.[1] The lounge includes trophies and pictures of the early Edmonton baseball teams.[10]
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.[citation needed]
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.
Concerts
Concerts have been held at the stadium on occasion:
- 1995 concerts included Tom Cochrane; Jeff Healey; The Beach Boys; The Village People and others.
- July 15, 2000: Briefcase Blues in concert following an Edmonton Trappers game - after which the band members signed baseballs for fans.
- August 22, 2001: Blink-182 with Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, Sum 41
- June 13, 2002: Newsboys[11]
- November 20, 2005: 2005 Tuyul Rugby Sevens
- August 25, 2009: Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, Dean Brody, Mike Plume Band
- September 4, 2009: Bryan Adams
- August 28, 2010: Rock the River West Tour (featuring Skillet, Flyleaf, Hawk Nelson, Starfield, Downhere, and Tedashii)
References
- ^ a b c "Edmonton Ballpark (formerly known as TELUS Field)". Ticketmaster. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Stadiums in Canada, Alberta". World Stadiums. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Spector, Mark (September 8, 1995). "Ball park has name until end of 2009". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton Journal. pp. C.3.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Kinmartin, Patrick (August 14, 2008). "Outlaws Notebook: The force could be with Luyben". ChicoER News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Zerr, Scott (June 12, 2002). "Moon shot by Cuddyer leads home team past Grizzlies". Angelfire. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Tkach, Marek (April 21, 2016). "Edmonton's nameless river valley gem". NAIT News Watch. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Lamb, Adrienne (April 30, 2016). "Telus Field gets a new name and lease on life". CBC News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Julie. "Open House Saturday, May 21". Edmonton Prospects. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Heidenreich, Phil (May 16, 2016). "Fort McMurray Giants to play baseball in Edmonton this season". Global News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Home Plate Club/Lounge". nlfan.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "AKE launches Canadian tour with the Newsboys". Christian Activities. June 7, 2002. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
External links
