Chiefs see fourth largest attendance growth in MILB
September 27, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
Peoria, IL - The Peoria Chiefs are thrilled to announce that the franchise record attendance at O'Brien Field in 2005 produced the 4th largest attendance growth in all of Minor League Baseball, excluding the Mexican League.
O'Brien Field was filled by 256,612 fans in 2005 compared to 211,598 fans in 2004 for an increase of 45,014 fans this season. According to numbers released by Minor League Baseball this week, only three teams saw a greater increase in 2005 and all three of those teams are AAA.
"This announcement from Minor League Baseball puts the finishing touch on what was a great season for baseball in Peoria and for O'Brien Field," said Chiefs President Rocky Vonachen. "With the return of the Cubs, the two rehabs with Nomar and Kerry, and the overall excitement for baseball in Peoria, 2005 was a great season. Now we are moving forward and working hard to make 2006 even better."
The only teams outside of the Mexican League who had larger increases than the Chiefs were the Oklahoma RedHawks and Portland Beavers of the AAA Pacific Coast League and the Richmond Braves of the AAA International League. Both Portland and Richmond were within 3,000 fans of the Chiefs and Richmond had 12 more home games in 2005 when compared to 2004 while the Chiefs had just one more home game.
Overall, Minor League Baseball shattered its all-time attendance record in 2005 as 176 teams in 15 leagues brought in a total of 41,333,279 fans for regular season games. It marks the second year in a row that MILB has broken an overall attendance record and 2005 finished 1.4 million fans ahead of 2004's mark. Thirteen of the 15 leagues reported increases from 2004 and the three leagues, Pacific Coast League, South Atlantic League and Eastern League set new records. The Midwest League was just 19,000 fans of the record set in 2004.
In addition, the Chiefs have announced they will be auctioning the remaining 2005 home and batting practice jerseys on the team website at www.peoriachiefs.com. As in prior jersey auctions, the home jerseys will begin at $75 and bids will go up in increments of $5.00. The batting practice jerseys will begin at $30 and go up in increments of $5.00. The jerseys will be placed on the website in waves of eight jerseys at a time. The first auctions will home jersey numbers: 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16. The first BP jerseys will be: 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16.
Other remaining jerseys will be added throughout the off-season. A few home jerseys were auctioned the final weekend of the 2005 regular season for the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund and will not be available in off-season auctions. The batting practice jerseys worn by Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, Eric Patterson, Ryan Harvey and Sean Gallagher will be auctioned as Christmas approaches. Any questions about jersey auctions should be directed to feedback@chiefsnet.com.
For more information about the Peoria Chiefs or O'Brien Field during the off-season, visit the team website at www.peoriachiefs.com
Midwest League Stories from September 27, 2005
- Dragons Murphy named "Executive of the Year" by The Sporting News - Dayton Dragons
- Chiefs see fourth largest attendance growth in MILB - Peoria Chiefs
- Jesse Roeder named MWL Sports Turf Manager of the Year - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Wizards 2006 schedule approved - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Devil Rays raise money for hurricane relief fund - Southwest Michigan Devil Rays
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.
