Having found success at Skylands Stadium, the Sussex County Miners (independent; Can-Am League) will be at the ballpark for at least three more seasons.
Just a few years ago, the status of baseball at Skylands Stadium was in serious doubt. Unable to find a stable tenant following the departure of the New Jersey Cardinals (Short Seasons A; NY-Penn League) after the 2006 season, the ballpark was eventually sold to businessman Al Dorso. As recently as 2014, it looked like a planned development for Skylands Stadium would all but squelch its chances of ever hosting professional baseball again, but that quickly changed.
With Dorso as the owner, the Miners arrived in 2015 and have experienced a positive trend in attendance, as their average figure of 1,842 fans per-game this season is up from the mark of 1,187 in 2015. According to Dorso, that has provided a major boost to the Miners, who are expected to remain at the ballpark for at least three more seasons. More from the New Jersey Herald:
It would be the biggest crowd of the year, and the owner of both the team and the stadium had good reason to be proud on this baseball-perfect, 78-degree masterpiece under the stars.
Before the game, Dorso talked about the club and the ballpark and the record on the field and the finances off the field.
Most of all, he talked about next year, and, yes, there will definitely be a next year for the Miners, and at least two more seasons after that.
“The community, the people in this area have been great to us,” Dorso said. “We’ve made a lot of progress in two years and next year will be,by far, our best year yet.”
All and all, this positive news represents a drastic reversal from the course that Skylands Stadium seemed to be taking just two years ago.