EL Reading Fightin Phils

Reading Fightin Phils Partner with Reading School District

April 7, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Reading, PA) - Today, the Reading Fightin Phils announced an exciting new 20-year partnership with the Reading School District. This partnership will allow the Reading Red Knight's Baseball team to call FirstEnergy Stadium home, and provide mentoring opportunities to Reading School District students and alumni.

Reading High School Baseball will have access to their very own Red Knight Locker Room at the stadium - adorned with Red Knights logos throughout. In 2023, the Red Knights will play several varsity baseball games at FirstEnergy Stadium. In 2024 and beyond, the Red Knights will play all of their home baseball games at America's Classic Ballpark. A group of Red Knight student interns will be embedded with the R-Phils front office staff, and will learn to implement the Red Knights home games at FirstEnergy Stadium.

This partnership will also provide mentoring opportunities for Reading High School students, internship positions for current students and alumni, game staff positions for students and family members, professional development opportunities for Reading School District faculty, school visits and assembly programs at Reading School District schools, the opportunity for Reading School District to utilize the new Event Center for meetings and events, and more. In addition, the Red Knights baseball and softball teams will receive off-season training opportunities at FirstEnergy Stadium and at Rip It Baseballtown Charities, and baseball and softball clinics hosted by R-Phils players and coaches, as well as Rip It Baseballtown Charities instructors.

"We are so excited to launch this expanded partnership with the Reading School District," said R-Phils General Manager Scott Hunsicker. "We have always had a great relationship with the Reading School District, and this expanded partnership allows us to provide wonderful opportunities for the students, and alumni, of the Reading School District. First, to be able to provide the baseball team with this home field, arguably one of the nicest high school baseball fields in the country, and their own Red Knights locker room, will be a wonderful boost to the Red Knights baseball players. Even more importantly, implementing the layers of mentoring opportunities for current Reading students, and alumni, will expand our ability to provide learning opportunities for Reading School District students for the next twenty years. We thank Dr. Jennifer Murray, and her staff, for their imagination and passion, as they worked with us to put this wide-ranging partnership together."

"My sincere gratitude to the Reading School Board members and my colleagues, some of whom are here today, for their work in bringing this historic partnership to fruition," said Reading School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Murray.

Without the addition of the new Event Center at FirstEnergy Stadium, this partnership with the Reading School District, with this magnitude of mentoring and events, would not have been possible. The Reading Fightin Phils thank Redner's for their partnership on the new Redner's Event Center. Many of the Reading School District events will take place in the new Redner's Events Center, and the relocation of the R-Phils visiting team clubhouse to the Redner's Events Center in 2024 allows for the Red Knights to occupy their new locker room, which had previously been used for R-Phils visiting teams.

This Redner's Event Center expansion of FirstEnergy Stadium was made possible thanks to partnerships with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the City of Reading, Berks County and Customers Bank. The R-Phils extend their deepest gratitude to everyone who made this possible.

Financial assistance is provided by The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program Grant. Honorable Josh Shapiro, Governor. We also thank State Senator Judy Schwank, State Representative Mark Rozzi, State Representative Manny Guzman, State Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, and State Senator David Argall, for their support.

This project is funded in part through a grant from the City of Reading and the American Rescue Plan. We thank Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, Council President Donna Reed, and President Joseph R. Biden. We also thank the members of the Reading City Council and the Reading Stadium Commission.

This project is funded in part through a grant from the County of Berks. We thank Berks County Commissioners Christian Y. Leinbach, Michael S. Rivera, and Lucine E. Sihelnik.

This project is financed by Customers Bank. Customers Bank is based in Reading, PA. The general contractor for the FirstEnergy Stadium renovation project is Burkey Construction. Burkey Construction is based in Reading, PA. The R-Phils design partner for the project is Steve Boyd. The architect for the project is EwingCole.

Additionally, the R-Phils are excited to share the dates that Reading High School baseball will play their 2023 home games at FirstEnergy Stadium:

Reading High School Games

4/17 - Reading High School vs. Muhlenberg High School- 7PM

4/19 - Reading High School vs. Twin Valley High School - 6PM

4/21 - Reading High School vs. Fleetwood High School - 4:15PM

TBD - Reading High School vs. Conrad Weiser High School - 6PM

TBD - Reading High School vs. William Penn Senior High School - 6PM

5/1 - Reading High School vs. Exeter High School - 10:30 AM

5/3 - Reading High School vs. Wilson High School - 4PM (JV & Varsity games)

R-Phils Opening Night is Tuesday, April 11, at 6:45PM. Tickets for the 2023 R-Phils season are now on sale. Get yours at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL or in person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region and was voted the #1 stadium in all of Double-A by MiLB's Ben Hill. Follow the R-Phils at rphils.com, on Twitter and TikTok at @ReadingFightins, on Instagram @fightins, and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins for all information.

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