TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Arvest Ballpark Named 'Ballpark of the Year'

Published on August 27, 2008 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


Arvest Ballpark, the home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, has been named Ballpark of the Year by BASEBALLPARKS.COM. Site webmaster Joe Mock made the announcement yesterday.

The honor is presented to the new baseball stadium with the best combination of superior design, attractive site selection and fan amenities. This is the ninth consecutive year for this award, and Arvest Ballpark joins some excellent company. Past winners include AT&T Park in San Francisco, Pittsburgh's PNC Park, Petco Park in San Diego and last year's winner, Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Naturals' General Manager, Eric Edelstein, was delighted by the news. "Any time you're recognized as being the best at something, it's a special honor," he noted. "And this is especially true when you consider our park was going up against a Triple-A and a Major League park."

Indeed, also in the running for this year's award were Coca-Cola Park, the new International League facility in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania (home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs), Nationals Park in Washington, DC, (home of the Washington Nationals) and Dehler Park in Billings, Montana (home to the Billings Mustangs).

"It was a tough choice this year," noted Mock, who personally visits each new park and writes a detailed review for BASEBALLPARKS.COM. "The Washington Nationals' new ballpark has one of the nicest interiors in the sport, and the parks in Billings and the Lehigh Valley are both very special and fit beautifully in their communities.

"In the end, though, Arvest Ballpark had the most unique and aesthetically pleasing elements of the four. In this era when natural, sustainable building elements are the order of the day, Springdale's facility checked all of the right boxes."

HOK Sport, interestingly, was behind the architectural design of three of this year's new parks. Not only were they the architects in Washington and Lehigh Valley, they also came up with Arvest Ballpark's intriguing layout and use of natural building materials.

"Obviously we didn't set out to design Arvest Ballpark solely for the accolades," said Martin DiNitto, HOK Sport principal. "But we're really pleased with the result in Springdale, and we're just humbled that it is getting the recognition it deserves as being a modern ballpark that is of its time and place."

"They (HOK) really outdid themselves in designing this park," added Edelstein. "They told us that they had a lot of fun coming up with the vision for Arvest Ballpark. Things also lined up really well so that their vision could be fulfilled, and HOK didn't let anything stand in their way - not financial matters, not political matters and not differences of opinion.

"We're very happy with Arvest Ballpark, both in its design and in the (design's) execution. This award is for the City of Springdale, HOK and the Naturals, because all three played a role in the way the park turned out," Edelstein pointed out.

One element of the park will still be special many years from now, according to Texas League President Tom Kayser. "The ballpark in Northwest Arkansas definitely has an iconic feature," he observed. "The roof there is very forward-looking, just as the community (of Springdale) is forward-looking." Indeed, the park's roof is unlike any other in baseball. The canopies that comprise the roof are both curved and white, to resemble clouds. At night, they are illuminated from underneath, making them even more attractive.

"The whole concept of the park runs counter to the norm in recent years," continued Kayser. "Lately, the 'retro' look has been popular, but Bob and Mindy Rich (principal owners of the Naturals) didn't want a design that looks backwards. Instead, they wanted a design that looks forward, but one that also uses natural (building) materials. This park was very successful in implementing this."

341,806 fans have poured through the turnstiles at Arvest Ballpark heading into the last weekend of the season. This helped the Texas League shatter its all-time attendance record, topping its previous mark with 12 days left in the season. The league is expected to break the 3 million mark as well.

Mock's in-depth review of Arvest Ballpark can be found at http://www.baseballparks.com/NWA-1.asp

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website also offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 27, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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