Day Air Ballpark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Day Air Ballpark

The ballpark's main entrance
Former names	Fifth Third Field (2000–2019)
Location	220 North Patterson Boulevard Dayton, OH 45402
Coordinates	39°45′51″N 84°11′6″W / 39.76417°N 84.18500°W / 39.76417; -84.18500
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) 2000–present

Day Air Ballpark is a cool baseball stadium in Dayton, Ohio. It used to be called Fifth Third Field. This stadium is the home field for the Dayton Dragons. They are a minor league baseball team in the Midwest League. The Dragons are connected to the famous Cincinnati Reds team.

In 2011, the Dayton Dragons made history! They sold out their stadium for 815 games in a row. This broke the record for the most consecutive sellouts in all professional sports. The old record was held by the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team.

The ballpark can hold about 8,200 people. It first opened its doors in the year 2000. It has two levels of seats and special skyboxes. Some people think it looks like a stadium for even bigger baseball teams.

History of Day Air Ballpark

The Dayton Dragons played their very first game at this stadium on April 27, 2000. A famous baseball player, Johnny Bench from the Cincinnati Reds, was there. He threw the special first pitch to start the game.

The Dragons were so popular that they sold out every home game of their first season. This happened even before the season officially began!

Big Games and Tournaments

Day Air Ballpark has hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game two times. These big games happened in 2001 and again in 2013.

The stadium also hosted the Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament several times. College teams played here in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Different universities won each time.

Upgrades to the Field and Screens

In 2011 and 2012, the baseball field got a big upgrade. Workers put in a brand new grass playing surface. They also added new systems to help with drainage and watering the field.

In 2014, the stadium spent over $1.2 million to improve its video systems. They added new HD cameras all around the park. In 2015, the main video screen was replaced. The new screen was much bigger and brighter. It was three times brighter and twice as tall as the old one. At the time, it was one of the best video boards in minor league baseball. Only a few Major League Baseball stadiums had a screen like it.

New Name and Future Plans

In January 2020, the stadium got a new name. Day Air Credit Union bought the naming rights, so it became Day Air Ballpark.

In 2021, the city of Dayton agreed to keep the ballpark's lease until 2060. This means the Dragons will play there for many more years! The city also plans to spend up to $4.5 million on improvements. These upgrades will make the park even better and more energy-efficient.

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.

Food and Fun at the Park

Day Air Ballpark has lots of yummy food options. You can get individual cheese and pepperoni pizzas from Donatos Pizza. There's also Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. You can find it at a special cart or at most food stands.

Many local nonprofit groups help run the food stands. These include churches, clubs, and schools. They use the money they earn to support their causes. In 2009, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said Day Air Ballpark was one of the best minor league parks for vegetarian food options.