| Bernie Robbins Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Former names | The Sandcastle (1998-2006) |
| Location | 545 North Albany Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401 |
| Broke ground | 1996 |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Operator | Atlantic City Surf (1998-2008) |
| Construction cost | $15 million |
| Capacity | 5,500 |
| Field dimensions |
Left Field: 309 feet (94 m) Center Field: 400 feet (120 m) Right Field: 309 feet (94 m) |
| Tenants | |
| Atlantic City Surf Can-Am Association (2007-2008) | |
Bernie Robbins Stadium is a 5,500-seat baseball-only stadium in Atlantic City, New Jersey that opened in 1998. It was built as the home of the Atlantic City Surf baseball team, which discontinued operations prior to the 2009 season. College teams have also used the stadium. The Stadium has been neglected for several years and is starting to show it.
The stadium is located on Albany Avenue, near the eastern terminus of U.S. Routes 40 and 322 and several blocks inland from the famous Boardwalk and casino strip. The casinos are clearly visible from the seating areas and create a particularly attractive view at night.
Seating is in two primary sections, split by a "cross aisle". Luxury boxes are also available above the main seating bowl.
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The stadium, originally known as The Sandcastle, opened in 1998 on a parcel located on the sprawling Bader Field, a closed municipal airport. When the park first opened, the seating sections were named for the various properties on the U.S. version of the Monopoly board, which took its names from the streets of Atlantic City and surrounding towns. However, saying "I'm sitting in Pacific Avenue" was not sufficiently descriptive, and so the seating sections were assigned numbers, as at most other stadiums. In 2006, the Bernie Robbins jewelry chain purchased the naming rights.[1]
Bernie Robbins Stadium has played host to the Atlantic League All-Star Game in 1998 and 2005 as well as to various amateur baseball events and concerts. In October 2006, it was the venue for Atlantic regional qualifying for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. In May 2008, WCAU-TV sports director and former NFL player Vai Sikahema accepted an open challenge from former MLB player Jose Canseco to fight him in a celebrity boxing match for $5,000. Canseco claims to have earned black belts in Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and Muay Thai, while Sikahema, who grew up wanting to be a professional boxer, had once fought in a National Golden Gloves Championship that was eventually won by Sugar Ray Leonard. The fight, dubbed the "War At The Shore", took place on July 12, 2008, and was hosted by Philadelphia-native adult film personality Steven Sheaffer. Sikahema won by knockout in the first round.[2]
An August 2009 report in the Press of Atlantic City reported on the stadium's deteriorating condition due to lack of maintenance and vandalism.[3][4][5] However, the abandoned stadium received considerable restoration in 2011 to prepare for an upcoming three day musical festival headlined by the Dave Matthews Band to be held on Bader Field. Most of the improvements focused on repairing the facility's fire-suppression system and plumbing, as well as rejuvenating the field itself. The stadium would be used for VIP seating for special ticket holders for the festival, as well as the site for an upcoming "Summer Fest" concert featurimg rapper Rick Ross.[6]
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