This summer’s Major League Baseball game at the Field of Dreams site is prompting ambitions of more events, as the site’s owner and operator is hopeful MLB will consider returning in future seasons.
On August 13, the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees will square off in a regular-season game at the Field of Dreams site in Dyserville, IA, bringing major-league action to the filming location of one the most beloved baseball films ever made. To accommodate the game, an 8,000-seat venue is being built just beyond the actual Field of Dreams playing surface, which is far to small to host an MLB contest. The under-construction facility will be outfitted with an MLB-quality playing field and the infrastructure needed to host an MLB regular-season game that is being nationally televised on FOX.
Once the game concludes, the field will remain operational under the control of Go The Distance, the entity that owns and operates the entire Field of Dreams site. While their current focus is on preparing the site for the August event, officials from Go The Distance hope that the 2020 game will serve as the first step in a longer relationship with MLB that possibly include contests at the site in the future. Notably, Go The Distance already has plans to market the field for baseball and softball events, along with non-sporting events that could include concerts and fairs. More from the Des Moines Register:
“We’re definitely hopeful that this could be an event that is held here in future years,” said Roman Weinberg, the director of operations for Go The Distance, the company that owns and operates the movie site. “That’s something that we are definitely hopeful for. Of course, we aren’t taking for granted the opportunity presented to us this year. We’re just looking at this current season, preparing for the event that we’ve got and then looking in the future.”
That’s the biggest of the high hopes for the 8,000-seat stadium that is being constructed next to the iconic diamond where the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner was filmed. The special stadium, being created specifically for the game, will be owned by Go The Distance after the game is played, Weinberg said.
So, what will happen with the field next? Weinberg said they hope to use it for fantasy camps, youth baseball and softball games and even community fairs and concerts. The site has already become a tourist attraction with baseball fans from across the nation flocking to the farm in Dyersville to visit it or play catch. The new ballpark could be more than just a sightseeing spot.
“We’ve got a variety of different opportunities with this field that we’re excited to explore,” Weinberg said.
Field of Dreams, the big-screen adaption of the W.P. Kinsella novel Shoeless Joe, was released to acclaim in 1989 with a cast that included stars Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, and Amy Madigan. It has remained popular with baseball and movie fans alike, and a field has been left intact at the production site, allowing it to becoming a sought-out tourist destination.
Rendering courtesy MLB.