The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Class AAA; International League) have announced that they are expanding the protective netting at Coca-Cola Park. To be installed prior to the 2017 season, the netting will now cover field level sections 108-116, between the home and visiting dugouts.
The new protective netting provides additional safety and also offers 33% more visibility than the previous backstop. Formerly, only fans seated in sections 109 through 115 were stationed behind the safety net.
The new safety netting that will be installed prior to the 2017 season at Coca-Cola Park has the same visibility quotient used throughout Major League Baseball and offers the highest visibility of any backstop net on the market. The new product is 33% thinner than Coca-Cola Park’s old safety netting (1.2 mm compared to 1.8 mm) and features a knotless system for enhanced see-through visibility.
“The safety of our fans is our top priority at Coca-Cola Park,” exclaimed IronPigs President and General Manager Kurt Landes. “With that being said, our fans will be amazed at the increased visibility and enhanced sight lines afforded by this new product. Providing greater visibility and higher safety is truly a win-win.”
In addition to the new safety net attributes outlined above, the new product also has the following protective features:
- The ability to withstand at least 316 pounds of breaking strength.
- Strong resistance to UV light.
- 15% stronger than steel.
- 40% stronger than aramid fibers.
- 95% see-through visibility.
This is the latest in a series of capital improvement projects announced in anticipation of the IronPigs’ upcoming tenth anniversary season at Coca-Cola Park. Earlier, the IronPigs announced that a series of state-of-the-art HD videoboards will be unveiled for the 2017 campaign, highlighted by an enormous 43′ x 73′ main HD videoboard that will be the largest in Minor League Baseball to incorporate a 16:9 HD aspect ratio. The brand-new HD videoboards – supplied by industry-leader Daktronics – represent the largest capital improvement campaign in Coca-Cola Park history.