Marlins Park

Heat, humidity and rain are three factors that plague fans when attending Marlins games at Sun Life Stadium. In April 2012, that will no longer be an issue as the Marlins will move into their new ballpark. Since the Miami Marlins inception in 1993, they have played at the multipurpose Sun Life 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.
 

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. Built on the site of the Orange Bowl, in Little Havana, the Marlins ballpark will have 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 36,500 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.

One of the most unique features in any ballpark will be located directly behind home plate. On both sides of the backstop will be twin 450 gallon saltwater aquariums containing up to 50 fish. Bulletproof glass will prevent the aquariums from shattering in the event a foul ball strikes one of them. Another unique feature at Marlins Park will be the 74 foot sculpture behind center field. This home run display will feature marlins going up an arch, landing in simulated water with a splash, the sun will rotate and seagulls will flop their wings. Video and ribbon boards will be located throughout the stadium to provide fans with information on everything happening during the game. The main HD videoboard will be 101 feet wide by 51 feet high. Another 100 feet wide display within the left field wall will display scores and stats from games throughout MLB. A view of the Miami skyline will be visible behind the stands in left field. Also located behind the left field wall will be the second swimming pool in MLB.The ballpark will have many amenities including a Taste of Miami food court including three restaurants, Latin American Grill, Pap Llega Y Pon and Don Camaron. Official groundbreaking occurred on July 18, 2009. Construction of the ballpark will likely lead to the rebirth of the franchise, which will be renamed the Miami Marlins in April 2012. The first preseason baseball games at the ballpark are set for April 1 and 2, 2012 against the New York Yankees. The Marlins will play their first regular season game at the ballpark on April 4, 2012 when they battle the St. Louis Cardinals.