Charlotte Sports Park
| Location | 2300 El Jobean Road Port Charlotte, FL 33948 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 26°59′57″N 82°10′54″W / 26.99917°N 82.18167°WCoordinates: 26°59′57″N 82°10′54″W / 26.99917°N 82.18167°W |
| Owner | Charlotte County |
| Operator | Charlotte County |
| Capacity | 7,670 |
| Field size | Left Field: 343 ft Left-Center Field: 384 ft Center Field: 414 ft Right-Center Field: 384 ft Right Field: 343 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 20, 1986 |
| Opened | March 6, 1987 |
| Renovated | 2008–09 |
| Construction cost |
$5 million ($10.5 million in 2017 dollars) $27.2 million (renovation) ($30.4 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Populous |
| Structural engineer | Bliss & Nyitray, Inc (renovation) |
| General contractor | Gilbane Building Co. |
| Tenants | |
|
Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (Spring Training) (2009–present) Charlotte Stone Crabs (FSL) (2009–present) GCL Rays (GCL) (2009–present) Texas Rangers (MLB) (Spring Training) (1987–2002) Charlotte County Redfish (SCL) (2007) |
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Charlotte Sports Park (formerly known as Charlotte County Stadium and Ranger Stadium) is a baseball stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida. The stadium is the home field for Tampa Bay Rays spring training operations, as well as its Class-A Florida State League Charlotte Stone Crabs and Rookie-class Gulf Coast Rays teams.
Originally built in 1987, the main stadium underwent a renovation that was completed in January 2009 at a cost of $27 million.
Prior to the Rays, the stadium was once home of the Texas Rangers' minor league affiliate Charlotte Rangers, and has played host to college baseball tournaments and the South Coast League Charlotte County Redfish.
On February 3, 2010, the Rays announced a naming rights deal with The Mosaic Company. The agreement was reported to last through 2024, however due to a potential conflict-of-interest with Charlotte County—whom ultimately must approve the name change—the Rays asked for more time to study the proposal before giving it to the county commissioners for final approval. On February 17, due to intense opposition by both the Charlotte County Council and local residents, the Rays announced they were abandoning the deal with Mosaic and will potentially look at other companies in the future instead.
In March 2014, Charlotte Sports Park was named the #1 spring training destination by the readers of USA Today and 10Best.
The stadium has also been used by the local community for non-baseball events like concerts, festivals, and expos. It has hosted such musicians as Kenny Rogers, The Beach Boys, The Little River Band, and Simple Plan.
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