Thomas More Stadium
38°58′56″N 84°38′19″W / 38.982156°N 84.638479°W
 | |
| Former names | Champion Window Field (2004–2012) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7950 Freedom Way Florence, KY 41042 |
| Capacity | 4,500 |
| Opened | 2004 |
| Tenants | |
| Florence Freedom (2004-present) Northern Kentucky Norse (NCAA DII GLVC) (2006–2008) | |
UC Health Stadium is a stadium in Florence, Kentucky. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league. It originally opened in 2004 as Champion Window Field and holds 4,500 people.[1]
On November 27, 2012, the Freedom announced that UC Health, the healthcare system of the University of Cincinnati, had signed a 10-year naming rights deal, giving the ballpark its UC Health Stadium name.[2]
History
2004 ownership scandal
In July 2004, shortly after the opening of Champion Window Field, contractors began filing liens against the Florence Freedom, accusing the team of not paying for work done on the stadium. Eventually, 33 liens totaling $4.7 million were filed. In August, Fifth Third Bank sued team part-owner Chuck Hildebrandt for failing to repay multiple loans taken out to finance the stadium construction. As part of the lawsuit, it was revealed that Hildebrandt had used 204 acres (0.83 km2) of land that he did not own as collateral for the loans, and that he had given the bank a forged document as proof of ownership.[3] Hildebrandt was later the subject of a federal white collar crime investigation and sentenced to prison in October 2005.[4] The team was sold in November 2004 to a new ownership group led by Clint Brown, who was not associated with Hildebrandt's ownership group.[5]
Other uses
From 2006–2008, the Northern Kentucky Norse baseball team, then of NCAA Division II, moved from on-campus Bill Aker Baseball Complex to play its home schedule at Champion Window Field.[6][7][8]
Freedom attendance
| Season | Total Attendance |
|---|---|
| 2004[9] | 68,250 |
| 2005[9] | 94,191 |
| 2006[9] | 89,969 |
| 2007[9] | 99,333 |
| 2008[9] | 106,707 |
| 2009[10] | 102,086 |
| 6-year Total | 560,536 |
References
- ^ Champion Window Field at ballparkreviews.com, URL accessed October 18, 2009. Archived 10/18/09
- ^ Hansel, Mark (November 27, 2012). "UC inks stadium naming deal with Florence Freedom". Cincinnati.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ Family suing Freedom owner - 'Cincinnati Enquirer', Sept. 14, 2004 Archived 12/31/09
- ^ October 24, 2005 at fraudblogger.com Archived 12/31/09
- ^ Florence Freedom has a deal - Cincinnati Enquirer, Nov. 3, 2004 Archived 12/31/09
- ^ "Amateur Baseball Schedule at Champion Window Field Announced". OurSportsCentral.com. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ "Bellarmine vs. Northern Kentucky Box Score". Athletics.Bellarmine.edu. Bellarmine Sports Information. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Mulcahey, Matt (February 4, 2006). "NKU Baseball Slides into New Home". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Florence Freedom at flhistory.com, URL accessed January 1, 2009. Archived 12/31/09
- ^ Attendance Report at frontierleague.com, URL accessed January 1, 2009. Archived 1/1/10
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Host of the FL All-Star Game Champion Window Field 2007 |
Succeeded by |