Charlotte Sports Park
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| Charlotte Sports Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2300 El Jobean Road Port Charlotte, Florida 33948 |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Owner | Charlotte County |
| Operator | Charlotte County |
| Construction cost | $ 5 million |
| Tenants | Texas Rangers (1988- 2001) Tampa Bay Rays (2009-future) Charlotte County Redfish (2007-future) |
| Capacity | 5,400 |
| Field dimensions | Left Field: 338 ft (103.0224 m)
Center Field: 402 ft (122.5296 m) Right Field: 338 ft (103.0224 m) |
Charlotte Sports Park (also known as Charlotte County Stadium) is a baseball park and training facility in Port Charlotte, Florida. Originally built in 1988, the main stadium is currently being rebuilt, and will be the spring training home to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009. Beginning in the 2007 season, the ballpark will also be the home of the Charlotte County Redfish of the South Coast League.
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[edit] Tenants
The stadium is the former home of the Texas Rangers' minor league affiliate Charlotte Rangers, and has played host to amateur baseball tournaments, including the Port Charlotte Invitational.
[edit] A New Tenant
In August 2006, an agreement in principle was made between the Charlotte County Commission and the Tampa Bay Rays, who will use the facility as their spring training home starting in the spring of 2009[when?]. The deal came after the county spent years trying to lure another Major League Baseball team to replace the Texas Rangers, who left for Surprise, AZ in 2001. The agreement could be finalized as soon as September 12, 2006.
As part of a $27.2 million plan to renovate the stadium, the Devil Rays recruited stadium designer HOK Sport, Inc. to redevelop the stadium, which was built in 1987. The renovations will take up to 2 years, and are expected to be finished in time for the team to hold spring training there in 2009.
Charlotte Sports Park will also be the home of the Charlotte County Redfish of the South Coast League beginning in the 2007 season.
[edit] Historical Events
After signing an unprescendented 10 year deal worth $252 million with the Texas Rangers, in 2000, slugger Alex Rodriguez held a press conference with the sports media at the stadium. The stadium, which was being vacated by the club at the end of the 2001 Spring Training, was unable to accommodate the significant number of news reporters. In an effort to allow enough room for reporters to speak to Rodriguez, the press conference was held on the roof of the Rangers' dugout -- a clear sign that the Rangers had outgrown the facility.
During the 1994 Spring Training, the Rangers played host to the Chicago White Sox who featured basketball star Michael Jordan. The game drew a record crowd and was one of only a few sites in Florida to host Jordan.
In the Spring of 1993[when?], Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan announced his retirement from the clubhouse at the stadium.
[edit] Other Uses
The stadium is also used by the local community for events like concerts, festivals, and expos. It has hosted such musicians as Kenny Rogers, The Beach Boys, and Simple Plan.
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