Venue Detail
Columbus Clippers
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
February, 2011
Columbus Clippers
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1155 W Mound St Columbus, OH 43223-2298 Phone: 614-462-5250 Fax: 614-462-3271 URL: www.clippersbaseball.com
Owner
Columbus Baseball Team, Inc.
League
International League West
Venue
Huntington Park, Columbus, OH Owner: Franklin County Built: 2009 Capacity: 10,000 Concessionaire: Sodexho Suite caterer: Sodexho
Naming rights
Sold to: Huntington Bancshares Price: $12, 000,000 Term: 23 years Expires: 2030
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $625 to $625 Single tickets range from $6.00 to $10.00
Attendance
2007 average attendance: 7,245 2008 average attendance: 7,795 2009 average attendance: 9,525
Luxury Suites
Quantity: 24 Price: $30,000 to $40,000 Seats: 12 to 20
Nationwide Realty Investors convinced Hamilton County officials to allow it to develop a new ballpark for the Clippers. The company developed an arena for the city along with a surrounding entertainment district.
Nationwide agreed to waive its fees as its contribution to the project. Two other firms bidding for the work had set fees from $700,000 to $900,000. International Facilities Group of Chicago and CT Consultants of Willoughby, Conn., were the other bidders.
Seats in the new ballpark start only 48 feet from the bases, said Brian J. Ellis, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Realty Investors. Nationwide is serving as the owner's representative for the county and overseeing the designs by 360 Architecture in association with Moody Nolan.
The urban neighborhood, with bistros, bright lights and big parking lots already built, also will provide energy from existing crowds. The stadium will cooperate with the district's other big tenant, professional hockey. Their seasons are complementary: Hockey in the cold months and baseball when it's warm.
The tight footprint has advantages, Ellis said. “We're pushing the fans as close down to the action as possible.”
The county is hoping team managers will re-evaluate their marketing at the new ballpark and allow fans to buy smaller ticket packages instead of only traditional season passes.
They want more people to be able to see a game, and fewer empty seats – even if those seats are paid for.
“A sold but empty seat doesn't provide energy. It doesn't buy popcorn,” Ellis said.
The ballpark will include suite and club seating. A more affordable party option will be a rooftop patio overlooking the ballpark in the “Left-Field Building.”
Floors below will include a team shop, a tavern and a locker room where children who have run through the fountain or spilled punch can dry off.
The Left-Field Building, which continues the seating around the diamond, will be made of a different brick than the columns framing the rest of the stadium.
Developers didn't have an existing old building to save, so they designed a nostalgic building typical of the warehouses once in the area.
Otherwise, the ballpark will be state of the art. The scoreboard will include a 32-by-18-foot video screen with vivid color and sharp resolution.
In 2000, Franklin County rejected the idea of building a new stadium to replace Cooper Stadium. The decision came after polls showed voters were 3-1 against a new venue. County voters have repeatedly voted against public money for sports venues, but more recent polls show support for renovation or new construction. Those who regularly attend games favor renovation while occasional fans want a new ballpark. With attendance slipping, the business leaders feel a new ballpark could fill more seats. (Baseball, Facilities, Financial, MinorLeagueVenueReport, Professional Sports)