Greater Nevada Field

Greater Nevada Field


Greater Nevada Field in April 2009
Former names Sierra Nevada Stadium (planning)
Aces Ballpark (2009–2015)
Location 250 Evans Avenue
Reno, Nevada 89501
Coordinates 39°31′44″N 119°48′29″W / 39.529°N 119.808°W / 39.529; -119.808Coordinates: 39°31′44″N 119°48′29″W / 39.529°N 119.808°W / 39.529; -119.808
Owner SK Baseball
Operator SK Baseball
Capacity 9,013[1]
Record attendance 10,520 (July 4, 2016)
Field size Left Field: 339 ft (103 m)
Center Field: 410 ft (125 m)
Right-Center: 424 ft (129 m)
Right Field: 340 ft (104 m)[2]
Surface Natural grass
Construction
Broke ground February 25, 2008[3]
Opened April 17, 2009[2]
Construction cost $50 million[4]
($55.8 million in 2016 dollars[5])
Architect HNTB
Project manager Marx Okubo Associates, Inc.[6]
Structural engineer Nishkian Menninger[6]
Services engineer RHP, Inc.[7]
General contractor Devcon Construction[2]
Tenants
Reno Aces (PCL) (2009–present)
Reno 1868 FC (USL) (2017–present)

Greater Nevada Field is a Minor League Baseball venue in the Western United States, located in Reno, Nevada. Opened in 2009, it is the home of the Triple-A Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League and Reno 1868 FC of the United Soccer League. Greater Nevada Field is on the north bank of the Truckee River and is the centerpiece of a planned downtown Reno redevelopment effort, named the Freight House District.

History

The drive to build a stadium in the Reno-Sparks area began in 2002, with Sierra Nevada Baseball's purchase of land near the Sparks Marina. In 2003, state legislature passed a Washoe county rental car tax surcharge to partially finance the new stadium. However, Sierra Nevada Baseball's plans fell through when they were unable to secure the private financing portion of construction, as well as the cost to purchase and relocate a Triple-A team.

In 2007, SK Baseball stepped in and proposed a new stadium plan, redeveloping an eastern portion of downtown Reno. They entered into an agreement with the county in May 2007, secured financing, and bought the Tucson Sidewinders with the intent of moving them to Reno by the 2009 season.[8]

Ground was broken on February 25, 2008, for what was tentatively called Sierra Nevada Stadium. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule, with only 1 year, 50 days between breaking ground and opening day.

On April 17, 2009, the Reno Aces played their first home game in Aces Stadium, to an over-capacity crowd of 9,167. They beat the Salt Lake Bees, 11–1.

The stadium hosted the 2013 Triple-A All-Star Game in which the International League All-Stars defeated the Pacific Coast League All-Stars, 4–3.[9] Reno's Matt Davidson won the Home Run Derby.[10]

On September 16, 2015, the United Soccer League announced they will add a minor-league soccer team in Reno. Reno 1868 FC will begin play in 2017 at Greater Nevada Field and is owned and operated by the same management as the Reno Aces.

On March 17, 2016, the Aces and Greater Nevada Credit Union announced a 15-year agreement for naming rights, changing the name of the stadium from Aces Ballpark to Greater Nevada Field. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.[11]

Features

Greater Nevada Field has an official capacity of 9,100, with 6,500 fixed individual stadium seats, and the rest through general admission. The park has a berm beyond right field, and has standing room surrounding the entire field. In addition, there are two "party zones" with picnic table seating, 22 luxury skyboxes, a 150-person club suite, and two 15-person luxury dugout suites located immediately behind home plate.[12] Due to the flexibility of party zones, skyboxes and large general admission areas, game attendance can regularly be above the official stadium capacity. Four concession stands are staggered throughout the stands. Great Basin Beer is served on premises.

At elevation, Greater Nevada Field has a very deep field, 339 ft (103 m) at its shallowest point and 424 ft (129 m) at its deepest point. Therefore, home runs are less likely to occur, and line drive triples are more likely. The elevation of the natural grass playing field is approximately 4,500 feet (1,370 m) above sea level and is aligned northeast by north. Trent Oeltjen hit the park's first triple on opening night, but the first home run came the following night.[13] Josh Whitesell hit it in the bottom of the first inning, and went on to hit the park's first grand slam in the bottom of the 7th inning.[14]

Greater Nevada Field has extremely limited parking at the Freight House District, although a nine-story privately-owned parking garage (which is currently charging a flat rate of $10) is located immediately behind the stadium. Additionally, downtown Reno casinos have many parking garages available within walking distance of the stadium, which usually charge $5 on game days.[15]

Freight House District

On September 15, 2009, construction began on phase 2 of the stadium, the Freight House District. The grand opening coincided with opening day of the Reno Aces 2010 season. The Freight House District's upper level contains an outdoor bar and stage area for concerts, Bugsy's Sports Bar (which overlooks the left field line), Duffy's Ale House and the 250 Lounge. The lower level contains Arroyo Mexican Grill. With the exception of Arroyo, which is open year-round, most of the Freight House is only open for home games or special events.

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to Aces Ballpark!" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Mock, Joe. "Aces Ballpark". Baseball Parks. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ Voyles, Susan (February 25, 2008). "Big Turnout for Stadium Groundbreaking". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Reno Aces Baseball Stadium". City of Reno. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  5. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Reno Aces Ballpark & Freight House District". Engineering News-Record. December 1, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Entertainment". RHP, Inc. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Reno Aces Baseball Club". Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Triple-A All-Star Game Results (2013–2017)". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby Winners". 2017 Pacific Coast League Sketch & Record Book. Pacific Coast League. 2017. p. 162.
  11. ↑ "Aces Ballpark is now Greater Nevada Field". KOLO. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Suite & Group Seating Options at Aces Ballpark". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Reno Aces Scoreboard: April 17, 2009". Minor League Baseball. April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Reno Aces Scoreboard: April 18, 2009". Minor League Baseball. April 18, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  15. ↑ Voyles, Susan (March 15, 2009). "Downtown Reno Hotels to Charge for Parking on Game Days". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
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