MINOR LEAGUE

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Pictures Courtesy: Florida Marlins

Marlins Ballpark
Miami, FL

Heat, humidity and rain are three factors that plague fans when attending Marlins games at Dolphin Stadium. In April 2012, that will no longer be an issue as the Marlins will move into their new ballpark. Since the Florida Marlins inception in 1993, they have played at the multipurpose Dolphin Stadium, a stadium built mainly for football. Not only do the Marlins have to play at a stadium built for football, but the threat of rain often keeps fans away from games. These factors have led the Marlins to try to get a new ballpark built for nearly a decade. Over the past ten years, several plans have been proposed on where a new ballpark should be built and how it would be financed. Support from local officials increased after the Marlins won the World Series in 2003 when Miami Dade County announced plans to fund a ballpark. However, Miami-Dade County decided not to fund the project, but in January 2004, the City of Miami proposed building a ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. This ballpark would have adjoined the Orange Bowl. Throughout 2004 and 2005, the Marlins struggled to gain financial support from the Florida House Legislation, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami.

In February 2008, the Florida Marlins reached an agreement for a baseball-only ballpark. City and County Commissioners voted on February 21, 2008 to approve funding for a new ballpark for the Marlins. The ballpark was originally scheduled to open in 2011 but was delayed by a lawsuit by South Florida auto dealer Norman Braman, who unsuccessfully challenged the public funding aspect of the project. In March 2009, both the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County approved financing of construction for the Marlins new $634 million ballpark. Miami-Dade County will pay a majority of the construction costs and will own the stadium. The Marlins will contribute $120 million to the project and will borrow $35 million from Miami-Dade County.

Fans of the Marlins can now look forward to April 2012 when they can go to games at a baseball only stadium and no longer have to worry about having to set through rain delays. The Marlins ballpark has a futuristic design that looks forward and breaks away from the traditional retro ballpark design. A brick facade will not be found here. Instead, the exterior will consist of white stucco, silver metal and glass. The three panel retractable roof will prevent any rain delays and open or close in 13 minutes. When open it will sit behind the first base grandstand on the west side of the ballpark. Here, on the outside, will be a giant gathering plaza for fans to mingle before games. Inside, the ballpark will seat 37,000 fans, the smallest in MLB. The main three tier grandstand will stretch from foul pole to foul pole. Additional seating will be located in both right and left field. Several unique features will be found beyond the outfield. This includes a beach and swimming pool in left field, and a signature water feature in centerfield. Two HD video/scoreboards will be located at the ballpark, one in centerfield and the other near the left field foul pole. Fans will be able to see the Miami skyline beyond the stands in left field. The ballpark will have many amenities including a Taste of Miami food court, 42 luxury suites, eight party suites and numerous other entertainment areas. Official groundbreaking occurred on July 18, 2009. Construction of this ballpark will likely lead to the rebirth of the franchise, which will be renamed the Miami Marlins in April 2012.

BALLPARK MERCHANDISE

2009 Opening Day Land Shark Stadium Poster with Signatures
12"x20" Limited to 2,009

Land Shark Stadium Poster
Sizes Vary, Framed or Unframed

Land Shark Stadium Medallion and Infield Dirt Coin
Limited to 5,000

MARLINS BALLPARK FACTS AND FIGURES

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

• Tenant: Florida Marlins
• Capacity: 37,000
• Surface: Grass
• Cost: $634 Million
• Opening: April 2012
• Dimensions: 340-L, 384-LC, 420-C, 392-RC, 335-R
• Architect: Populus
• Webcam

CONSTRUCTION PICTURES

Pictures Courtesy: Ghost of Fire