NewBridge Bank Park

NewBridge Bank Park
Former names First Horizon Park
Location 408 Bellemeade Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
Coordinates 36°4′36″N 79°47′41″W / 36.07667°N 79.79472°WCoordinates: 36°4′36″N 79°47′41″W / 36.07667°N 79.79472°W
Owner Greensboro Baseball LLC
Operator Greensboro Baseball LLC
Capacity 7,499
Field size Left Field: 315 ft (96 m)
Left Field Jog: 322 ft (98 m) (unposted)
Left-Center: 365 ft (111 m)
Center Field: 400 ft (122 m)
Right-Center: 362 ft (110 m)
Right Field Jog: 320 ft (98 m) (unposted)
Right Field: 312 ft (95 m)
Surface Grass
Construction
Broke ground January 21, 2004
Opened April 3, 2005
Construction cost $21.5 million
($26 million in 2015 dollars[1])
Architect Tetra Tech
Moser Mayer Phoenix Associates
General contractor Barton Malow/Samet[2]
Tenants
Greensboro Grasshoppers (2005–present); ACC Tournament (2010, 2012)

NewBridge Bank Park is a minor league baseball park opened in Spring 2005 by the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, of the South Atlantic League. The park is on the block bounded by Bellemeade, Edgeworth, Smith, and Eugene Streets in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.

The stadium's current capacity is 7,499, 5,300 of which are chair-back seats. The stadium was built to Class AA standards and has room for future expansion.[3] In 2011, the Grasshoppers had the second best average attendance record in the South Atlantic League and the highest total attendance in the league.[4]

History

The team moved here during winter 2004–2005, leaving their previous home of many decades, World War Memorial Stadium. Lindsay Street, which once cut through the property of the new park, now T's into Eugene, and also provides a direct path to the old stadium. Greensboro's downtown stadium opened its gates to a crowd of 8,540 on April 3, 2005, with a Grasshoppers exhibition game against the Florida Marlins.[5] In the first regular season game, the Grasshoppers defeated the Hickory Crawdads 3–2 in front of 8,017 fans.[6] This state-of-the-art facility features a 30-foot-wide, open-air concourse, 36 concession points of sale, the Go Triad grandstand outdoor sports bar, a kid-safe play park and numerous amenities.[3]

On May 5, 2009, it was announced that the 2010 ACC Baseball Tournament would be held at NewBridge Bank Park, a change from the discussed location of Fenway Park in Boston, due to economic reasons.[7] Florida State won the tournament.[8]

From May 23 to 27, 2012, the park hosted the 2012 ACC Baseball Tournament, which was won by Georgia Tech.[9][10] During this time, the University of North Carolina took on North Carolina State University in a game that broke the record for attendance at a college baseball game in the state of North Carolina. It was also the largest crowd ever for an ACC baseball game. The attendance, 10,229, was the largest crowd in the history of NewBridge Bank Park.[11]

Features

NewBridge Bank Park features 16 luxury suites, 20 grandstand Boxes, picnic areas, a grandstand party deck (located in the left field corner), a state of the art retail store and children's play ground area.

A 30-foot-wide open concrete concourse wraps around the ballpark, giving fans the opportunity to see the game from any vantage point in the stadium. Fans are served at three major concession stands with 36 points of sale. The grandstand provides 3 additional points of sale.[12]

Naming rights

The ballpark opened in 2005 as First Horizon Park. Memphis, Tennessee-based First Horizon National Corporation was awarded the naming rights of the ballpark on December 7, 2004, for 10 years.[13] On November 7, 2007, it was formally announced that locally based NewBridge Bank had acquired the ballpark's naming rights, after First Horizon National Corporation ended their agreement with the Grasshoppers.[14] The deal runs through the 2017 season.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ "First Horizon Park". Starr Electric Company, Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Stadium History". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ "2011 Affiliated Attendance by League". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. September 12, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  5. ↑ Hass, Bill (April 4, 2005). "A Blowout Beginning". News & Record (Greensboro). p. C1.
  6. ↑ Hass, Bill (April 10, 2005). "Hoppers Show Spark in Opener". News & Record (Greensboro). p. C1.
  7. ↑ "2010 ACC Baseball Championship Moves to Greensboro, N.C.'s NewBridge Bank Park". Atlantic Coast Conference. May 5, 2009. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ "2010 Baseball Championship". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ "2012 Baseball Championships". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  10. ↑ Justice, David (May 27, 2012). "Eighth-Seeded Ga. Tech Wins ACC Baseball Tournament". The News & Observer (Raleigh). Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  11. ↑ Borlik, Joe (May 26, 2012). "Record Crowd of 10,229 Attend UNC/NC State Game in Greensboro". WGHP (Greensboro). Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  12. ↑ "NewBridge Bank Park". Greensboro Sports Commission. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  13. ↑ Haas, Bill (December 8, 2004). "Stadium Naming Rights Sold". News & Record (Greensboro). Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  14. ↑ Barron, Richard M. (November 9, 2007). "Ball Park's New Player". News & Record (Greensboro). Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  15. ↑ Patterson, Donald W. (November 10, 2007). "Bank, Ballpark Like Their Deal". News & Record (Greensboro). Retrieved April 15, 2012.

External links