Worcester, MA‘s upcoming Polar Park will feature a mix of fixed seating options and other spaces to bring its total capacity to 10,000, according to details from the Pawtucket Red Sox (Class AAA; International League).
Currently slated for a 2021 opening for the relocating PawSox, Polar Park is expected to offer a mix of fixed seating and gathering spaces to accommodate fans. The total capacity will consist mostly, but not entirely, of fixed seating, as the ballpark is expected to provide traditional seating for over 7,000. Gathering spaces and non-traditional seating areas will fill out the remainder of the ballpark’s offerings, bringing the overall capacity to 10,000.
In planning this aspect of the ballpark, team officials believe that the gathering spaces can appeal to a wide variety of fans–from families with young children, to college students. PawSox officials discussed the plans at an event at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium over the weekend. More from MassLive:
To a group of at least 40 fans who went to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket on Saturday for a Worcester Red Sox preview night, PawSox President Charles Steinberg offered a few details to give the group an idea of what Polar Park will look like.
Steinberg said there will be about 7,200, maybe 7,500, tradition seats in Polar Park. The rest of the space, to allow for 10,000 fans, will be in gathering places.
“We want to design a ballpark where you can meet and mingle,” Steinberg said. “I think for the college students, that’s going to be a key part. It’s also going to be a key part for the young moms and dads with toddlers who aren’t ready to watch complete games yet.”
Social spaces, group areas, and other unique seating options are a major part of current ballpark design trends. The new facilities that opened this season for the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Class AA; Texas League), Fayetteville Woodpeckers (High A; Carolina League), and Las Vegas Aviators (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) all incorporate gathering spaces in some way, and it is expected that an upcoming Wichita ballpark–slated to open in 2020 for the relocating New Orleans Baby Cakes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)–will feature similar amenities.
Construction on Polar Park, named as the result of naming rights from Worcester’s Polar Beverages, is expected to begin this summer in anticipation of a 2021 opening. The ballpark is envisioned as the anchor a larger redevelopment initiative in the city’s Kelley Square/Canal District area.
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