Day Air Ballpark facts for kids
Aerial shot of Day Air Ballpark
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 Day Air Ballpark
Location in Ohio
Day Air Ballpark
Location in the United States
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| Former names | Fifth Third Field (2000–2019) |
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| Location | 220 North Patterson Boulevard Dayton, OH 45402 |
| Coordinates | 39°45′51″N 84°11′6″W / 39.76417°N 84.18500°W |
| Owner | City of Dayton |
| Operator | Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC |
| Capacity | 7,230 seats ~1,000 lawn area |
| Record attendance | 9,507 (June 19, 2009) |
| Field size | Left field – 320 ft (98 m) Center field – 400 ft (122 m) Right field – 320 ft (98 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 26, 1999 |
| Opened | April 23, 2000 |
| Construction cost | $23.5 million ($39.9 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | HNTB Architects Associated, Inc. |
| Project manager | Construction Process Solutions Ltd. |
| Structural engineer | Fink Roberts & Petrie, Inc. |
| Services engineer | Woolpert LLP |
| General contractor | Danis Building Construction Company |
| Tenants | |
| Dayton Dragons (MWL/High-A Central) 2000–present | |
Day Air Ballpark is a cool baseball stadium in Dayton, Ohio. It's the home field for the Dayton Dragons, a minor league baseball team. The Dragons are connected to the big league team, the Cincinnati Reds. This stadium is famous because the Dragons once set a record for selling out the most games in a row!
The ballpark can hold about 8,200 people. It first opened in the year 2000. With its two levels of seats and fancy skyboxes, some people say it looks like a stadium for even higher-level minor league teams.
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History of Day Air Ballpark
The Dayton Dragons started playing in 2000. They were so popular that they sold out every home game that first year, even before the season began! The very first game at the stadium was on April 27, 2000. A famous baseball player, Johnny Bench from the Cincinnati Reds, was there to throw out the first pitch.
Big Games Hosted at the Ballpark
Day Air Ballpark has hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game two times. These special games happened in 2001 and again in 2013. The stadium also hosted the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament in 2005, 2007, and 2009. College teams like Rhode Island, Charlotte, and Xavier won these tournaments.
Upgrades to the Field and Video Screens
In 2011, the playing field got a big makeover. Workers put in new Kentucky Blue Grass. They also added new systems to help with drainage and watering the grass. This keeps the field in great shape for games.
Later, in 2014 and 2015, the stadium got awesome new video technology. Over $1.2 million was spent to make the control room better and add HD cameras. In 2015, the old video board was replaced with a huge, super bright new one. It was three times brighter and much bigger than the old one. At the time, it was one of the best video boards in any minor league baseball stadium!
New Name and Future Plans
In January 2020, the stadium got a new name: Day Air Ballpark. This happened because Day Air Credit Union bought the naming rights. In 2021, the city of Dayton agreed to keep the Dragons playing at the park for many more years, until 2060. The city also plans to spend up to $4.5 million on improvements. These will help the park save energy and make it even better.
Exciting Renovations for 2025
The Dayton Dragons announced big plans for the stadium in 2025. These will be the largest renovations since the park first opened! The upgrades will include better lighting, heating, air conditioning, and a new sound system. There will also be a new fancy area called the Diamond Club. This club will have comfy seats, special food, and a climate-controlled space to watch games. These improvements will allow the stadium to host events all year long, not just baseball games.
Cool Facts About Day Air Ballpark
- Sports Illustrated magazine once said that tickets to Dragons games were among the top ten "hottest tickets" in all of professional sports.
- The Dayton Dragons broke a huge record! They had 815 games in a row that were completely sold out. This was the longest sellout streak in all U.S. professional sports.
- In 2004, the stadium had its highest number of fans in one season, with 593,633 people attending games. This was a record for the Midwest League.
- The stadium has 7,320 seats, just like you'd find in a big stadium.
- There are also 1,400 special club seats, 29 private suites, and 3 party decks for groups.
- The ballpark was built on the land where a Delco Electronics factory used to be.
Food and Fun at the Ballpark
Day Air Ballpark offers lots of tasty food options. You can get individual cheese and pepperoni pizzas from Donatos Pizza. There's also Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, available at a cart or at most food stands. Many local nonprofit groups, like churches and schools, help run the concession stands. This helps them raise money for their causes. In 2009, a group called People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) even said Day Air Ballpark was one of the best minor league stadiums for people who like vegetarian food!
Cool Facts About the Ballpark
- Sports Illustrated magazine called tickets to Dragons games one of the "hottest tickets" in all of professional sports.
- The Dayton Dragons hold the record for the longest sellout streak in U.S. professional sports. They sold out 815 games in a row! This beat the record held by the Portland Trail Blazers.
- The most fans in one season was 593,633 in 2004. This was a record for the Midwest League.
- The stadium has 7,320 regular seats.
- It also has 1,400 special club seats, 29 private suites, and 3 party decks.
- The ballpark was built where an old electronics factory used to be.
