News release from the TinCaps:
Parkview Field Ranked No. 1 Ballpark in Minor League Baseball
TinCaps’ Home Takes ‘Stadium Journey’ Honor For Fourth Time in Five Years
(September 28, 2015) — For the second year in a row, and for the fourth time in five years, Stadium Journey has ranked Parkview Field as the No. 1 Minor League Baseball ballpark in the country. The home of the TinCaps claimed the top spot out of all 160 MiLB venues, from Triple-A on down. (See the complete rankings here.)
“Parkview Field has become the success story for all other minor league ballparks to emulate,” said Paul Swaney, President and Co-Founder of Stadium Journey. “The team’s commitment to consistent excellence results in an experience that never fails to live up to their well deserved reputation.”
Stadium Journey’s rankings are based on the reviews of its regional correspondents. To calculate each ballpark’s “FANFARE Score,” Stadium Journey considers food and beverage options, overall atmosphere, surrounding neighborhood, fans, access, return on investment, and special features. Each category is rated from one to five stars. Parkview Field earned a score of 4.7.
“The experience at Parkview Field is what all minor league baseball teams should strive for,” according to Stadium Journey’s review. “Great food, great seating options, a great neighborhood, great entertainment, and great customer service are all present here on a nightly basis. Parkview Field on its own would be one of the finer facilities in minor league baseball. Couple that with a major league organization and customer service, and you have an unbeatable combination. Parkview Field should be on the short list for any ballpark chaser traveling through the Midwest.”
Parkview Field was one of five Minor League Baseball venues to open in 2009. Since then, 13 other MiLB teams have built brand new ballparks, while several other stadiums have undergone refurbishments.
In 2015, Parkview Field set a franchise attendance record by averaging 5,971 fans per TinCaps game. Overall, for the sixth time in seven years, Parkview Field drew more than 400,000 fans, including a Fort Wayne single-game record of 9,193 fans on the Fourth of July.
“As an organization, we’re extremely appreciative of this top ballpark ranking from Stadium Journey,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “We know this honor wouldn’t be possible without our amazing fans, who make Parkview Field such a special place in our region. It means a lot to receive this ranking from Stadium Journey considering how hard their staff works evaluating venues not only around the country, but the whole world.”
The Downtown Fort Wayne facility has remained a popular community gathering place in part because of how it caters to much more than just baseball.
Each year Parkview Field hosts approximately 600 non-baseball events, ranging from major concerts to business meetings to parties to batting cage rentals and much more in between. In addition to baseball, Parkview Field has become home to annual events like Fort4Fitness, K105 CountryFest, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s Patriotic Pops concert.
“For as fantastic as the first seven years have been, we’re determined to continue making Parkview Field even better going forward,” Nutter said.
Opening Day for the 2016 baseball season at Parkview Field is scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 9 at 6:05 p.m. when the TinCaps take on the Lake County Captains.
2015 Organizational Honors for the TinCaps
- No. 1 Minor League Ballpark Experience (Stadium Journey)
- Midwest League Executive of the Year — Mike Nutter
- Midwest League Grounds Crew of the Year
- Midwest League Nominee for MiLB’s John Henry Moss Community Service Award
- Finalist for Best Theme Night (SNL Night) in Minor League Baseball
WATCH: 2015 TinCaps End-of-Season Video
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