It was one of the prettiest and notable ballparks in indy baseball upon opening, complete with chilled bar, outdoor pool and aviation theme. Today the former home of the Grand Prairie AirHogs is now home to Major League Cricket.
We reported on the plan to convert the former QuikTrip Park–now Grand Prairie Stadium–back in 2020. (Here’s a look at our 2009 visit. Yes, we did name it as a Ballpark of the Year.) Now, the original timeline set out in our article ended up being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the parameters may have changed. That original plan called for multiple former MiLB and indy ballparks to be converted to cricket venues, but so far the Grand Prairie plan is the only implementation. We don’t expect that to continue–given how the sport’s fans are heavily represented in Texas and California, we’d expect a new cricket facility or two in Dallas and the Bay Area. (Yes, we know how difficult it is to build a new sports venue in California using any sort of public money. But the folks behind Major League Cricket do have some resources at their disposal.)
At the old QuikTrip Park, the grandstand and outfield buildings are still as constructed for baseball; more seating was added, increasing capacity to 7,200 from the original 5,400, and the outfield pool is gone. But the outfield club is still there, but no work whether the chilled bar remains.
The six-team league, representing cities across the United States, will play their matches in the Dallas suburb and Church Street Park (Morrisville, N.C.). The renovations remain a work in progress: some ballpark lighting was removed to make way for field expansion and there’s no running water in the facility. Still, with a big crowd for opening night, the venue seems to have a bright future.
Image courtesy Major League Cricket.