O'Brien Field
 
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| Former names |
O'Brien Field (2002–2008) Chiefs Stadium (2009–2013) |
|---|---|
| Location | 730 Southwest Jefferson Street Peoria, IL 61605 |
| Coordinates | 40°41′15″N 89°35′51″W / 40.68750°N 89.59750°WCoordinates: 40°41′15″N 89°35′51″W / 40.68750°N 89.59750°W |
| Owner | Peoria Chiefs Community Baseball LLC |
| Operator | Peoria Chiefs Community Baseball LLC |
| Capacity | 7,500 |
| Field size | Left Field: 310 ft (94.49 m) Left Center: 375 ft (114.3 m) Center Field: 400 ft (121.92 m) Right Center: 375 ft (114.3 m) Right Field: 310 ft (94.49 m) |
| Surface | Sod (1–1¼ inches) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 16, 2001 |
| Opened | May 24, 2002 |
| Construction cost |
$23 million ($30.6 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | HNTB |
| Services engineer | Clark Engineers MW Inc. |
| General contractor | River City Construction LLC |
| Main contractors | Prairie Construction Systems Inc. |
| Tenants | |
|
Peoria Chiefs (MWL) (2002–present) Bradley Braves (NCAA) (2002–present) |
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Dozer Park, originally O'Brien Field and formerly Chiefs Stadium, is a baseball field located in downtown Peoria, Illinois. It is the home of the Peoria Chiefs, the Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals; the Chiefs previously played at Meinen Field. The college baseball team of Bradley University also uses the field. It opened on May 24, 2002.
Official groundbreaking ceremonies for the $23 million multi-purpose stadium took place on August 16, 2001. The stadium opened on May 24, 2002 as O'Brien Field, with a game between the Chiefs and the Kane County Cougars.
O'Brien Auto Team held the original naming rights to the facility.
In 2011, the stadium hosted to the IHSA Class 1A and 2A baseball state finals. This was the first year the games were played at the facility.
The Peoria Chiefs became financially troubled. In April 2013, the Chiefs, including the stadium, received $7.35 million in financing and debt forgiveness. The plan included forgiveness of $1.2 million in debt to the City of Peoria; $250,000 more from Bradley University than was being paid before for the Bradley Braves baseball team to use the stadium for 10 years; and $2 million in funding from Caterpillar Inc. for naming rights over 10 years; and $2.7 million in new investment of cash and equity by the Chiefs' ownership group of about 50.
On May 10, 2013, Caterpillar and the Chiefs announced that the stadium would be renamed "Dozer Park", a reference to Caterpillar bulldozers.
Dozer Park's sod has an 8-inch (200 mm) deep root zone of 90% sand and 10% Dakota peat for nutrition. The high concentration of sand naturally relieves soil compaction.
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