Atlantic League Baseball a Home Run for Fans
July 27, 2016 - Atlantic League (AtL)
New Britain Bees News Release
Denver, CO- Baseball fans have continued flocking to Atlantic League ballparks in record numbers during the 2016 season. Through games of July 26, nearly 1.3 million fans have attended ALPB games in 2016 and over 35 million fans have now passed through turnstiles at league ballparks since its inception in 1998.
"The unwavering support of our fans continues to remain as strong as ever this year," says Atlantic League President Rick White. "The high level of talent and competition on the field along with the family-friendly atmosphere generated in our eight ballparks make Atlantic League games the perfect destination for all."
The Somerset Patriots and Long Island Ducks have both broken attendance records during the current season of play. Somerset set a new Atlantic League weekend attendance record when they welcomed 22,907 fans through the gates at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J. from June 17 through 19. The total surpassed the previous mark of 22,886 drawn by the Sugar Land Skeeters at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas from September 7 to 9, 2012.
Long Island broke a franchise record on July 3 when they welcomed a past-capacity crowd of 7,602 through the turnstiles of Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip, N.Y. That figure exceeded the team's previous mark of 7,582 which was set on July 4, 2009. The Ducks have now hosted over 6.8 million fans and 657 past-capacity crowds since their inaugural season of 2000, both of which are Atlantic League records.
The Skeeters have also set new team records earlier this year. A total of 19,666 fans attended games from May 20 to 22 at Constellation Field. That figure was good for their highest weekend attendance since September 13 through 15 of the 2013 season. The Skeeters then set a single game attendance record on July 4, 2016 in a 2-1 win over the New Britain Bees, attracting 8,606 in attendance. That broke the record of 8,597 set on September 17, 2012 in a 4-0 win over Long Island. Sugar Land's attendance for the first half of the season also increased over last year (147,960 in 2015 and 150,829 in 2016).
The New Britain Bees have enjoyed great fan support during their inaugural season in Central Connecticut, achieving the franchise's first sellout during their first homestand in April. The Bees have averaged nearly 4,000 fans at each home game during the month of July and welcomed over 14,000 fans to New Britain Stadium during a three day span (July 19-21) against the Lancaster Barnstormers.
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