Protective netting at an upcoming downtown Kannapolis ballpark will cover the entirety of the seating grandstand, the Kannapolis Intimidators (Low A; Sally League) announced Thursday. The announcement comes ahead of the facility’s 2020 opening.
The news out of Kannapolis is among the latest in a recent wave of announcements by professional baseball teams, including some at the major-league level, to either extended protective netting during the 2019 season or publicly state plans to do so in the near future. In Kannapolis’s case, details are emerging on the dimensions for protective netting at the upcoming downtown ballpark.
Populous, the architecture firm that designed the Kannapolis ballpark, developed the netting to significantly exceed industry standards from their first drawings with the blessing of the City of Kannapolis.
“It’s a delicate balance to create an intimate game experience for our fans while safeguarding their safety,” said Intimidators General Manager Matt Millward. “We are excited for spectators to enjoy Kannapolis professional baseball without the risk of hard-hit balls and errant bats reaching the seating bowl.”
The City of Kannapolis and general contractor Barton Malow Company awarded the netting and padding to Sportsfield Specialties, also known as Promats Athletics, an industry leader with a hub in Salisbury, NC. Its Ultra-Cross Dyneema netting product is billed as combining a thin gauge ideal for a clear view of the action on the field with incredible strength to shield fans from moving objects.
The Kannapolis Sports and Entertainment Venue (SEV) netting measures 30 feet high and stretches from behind home plate to the top of both dugouts and averages another 60 feet of net coverage beyond both dugouts. The 445 linear feet of netting coverage rising to a 30-foot height blankets the fixed-seating grandstand.
Rendering of protective netting courtesy Kannapolis Intimidators.
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