Yogi Berra Stadium
 |
|
| Location | 8 Yogi Berra Drive Little Falls, NJ 07424 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Field size | Left Field: 308 ft Center Field: 398 ft Right Field: 308 ft |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1998 |
| Opened | May 1998 |
| Tenants | |
|
New Jersey Jackals (Can–Am League) (1998–present) Montclair State Red Hawks (NCAA NJAC) (1998–present) New Jersey Pride (MLL) (2001–2008) |
|
Yogi Berra Stadium is a baseball stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey, US, on the campus of Montclair State University. The stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League as well as Montclair State's baseball team, and hosted the New Jersey Pride of Major League Lacrosse in the team's inaugural season in 2001.
Yogi Berra Stadium has a capacity of 5,000 persons with permanent seating of 3,784 people and lawn seating which holds an additional 1,500. It is capable of holding overflow crowds with standing room and grass seating available in right field. These tickets are sold only in the event of an anticipated large crowd, such as on holidays or fireworks nights.
Construction of the stadium was done in conjunction with another venue on the Montclair State campus. Floyd Hall, a resident of Montclair who was then serving as chief executive officer of Kmart, donated money to the university in order to build an ice arena, which is known as Floyd Hall Arena and is a multi-use facility that several of the area's high school hockey teams call home, and a new baseball stadium for Montclair State's team to replace their previous venue, Pittser Field. Around this time the Northeast League, an independent minor baseball league, was looking for a team to replace the Bangor Blue Ox, which had folded. Hall bought into the league shortly thereafter and founded the Jackals, who were promptly given use of the new stadium once it was able to open. It was decided to name the stadium after Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who called Montclair home during his playing days and managerial career with the Yankees and their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.
Despite construction delays keeping the Montclair State baseball team from using the new park (they remained at Pittser Field for one additional season; Pittser Field was then converted into a soccer only stadium), it opened for business in time for the Jackals' inaugural game in May 1998. Despite the stadium only being partially finished, as construction on an addition continued throughout the season, fans hungry for economical entertainment flocked to the ball park for a fun night out, and the park is well-constructed with good sight lines and no obstructed views from any of its seats. The park's dimensions are 308 feet to each of the corner outfields and 398 to center field; according to the Jackals, this was done on purpose as another honor for Berra.
...
Wikipedia