Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium

Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium
The Nat

Former names Capilano Stadium (1951-1978)
Nat Bailey Stadium (1978-2010)
Location 4601 Ontario Street
Vancouver, BC
Broke ground 1951
Opened July 15, 1951
Owner City of Vancouver
Operator City of Vancouver
Surface Grass
Construction cost $550,000 CAD
($4.78 million in 2012 dollars[1])
Architect William Aitken[2]
Capacity 5,157
Field dimensions Left Field - 335 ft
Center Field - 395 ft
Right Field - 335 ft
Backstop - 30 ft
Tenants
Vancouver Mounties (PCL) (1956-1969)
Vancouver Canadians (PCL) (1978-1999)
Vancouver Canadians (NWL) (2000-present)
UBC Thunderbirds (NAIA) (2000-present)

Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (known affectionately as "The Nat") is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League and also plays host to the University of British Columbia baseball team.

Contents

Stadium history

Originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 to honour the work of Vancouver restaurateur Nat Bailey and his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver.

Nat Bailey Stadium is located on the eastern side of scenic Queen Elizabeth Park in the Riley Park-Little Mountain neighbourhood of Vancouver.

The stadium was home to the Vancouver Capilanos and later attracted the Oakland Oaks who played as the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League from 1956 until 1969. The PCL returned to Vancouver in 1978 with the Vancouver Canadians, who competed in the league until 2000 season, after which the team relocated to Sacramento, California. The following season, a second incarnation of the Canadians began playing in the short-season Class A Northwest League.

The stadium's capacity is 5,157. However, there have been over 7000 fans in attendance at games held on Canada Day. Over 7800 fans squeezed into the park for Game 4 of the 1994 Pacific Coast League Championship Series between the Canadians and the Albuquerque Dukes.

The Canadians ownership signed a long term lease at Nat Bailey Stadium in February 2007. They have significantly improved and modernized the stadium while also restoring parts of the park to their original 1951 condition.

Naming rights

On June 16, 2010, Scotiabank and the Vancouver Canadians announced a naming rights agreement that would rename Nat Bailey Stadium as "Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium".

Services

Free wireless Internet access is also available in the stands. Food services are operated by Aramark

References

  1. ^ Canadian inflation numbers based on data available from Consumer Price Index, by province (monthly) (Canada) Statistics Canada. Retrieved August 21, 2011 and Consumer Price Index, historical summary Statistics Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2010
  2. ^ http://www.baseball-fever.com/archive/index.php/t-28736.html

External links