Venue Detail
Gwinnett Braves
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
February, 2011
Gwinnett Braves
|
1735 N Brown Rd Ste 140 Lawrenceville, GA 30043 Phone: 678-277-0300 Fax: 678-277-0338 URL: www.gwinnettbraves.com
Owner
Atlanta Braves
League
International League South
Venue
Coolray Field, Gwinnett, GA Owner: Gwinnett County Managed by: Team Built: 2009 Capacity: 10,000 Concessionaire: Aramark Suite caterer: Aramark
Naming rights
Sold to: Coolray Heating and Cooling Term: 16 years Expires: 2026
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $500 to $2,500 Single tickets range from $6.00 to $15.00
Attendance
2007 average attendance: 5,030 2008 average attendance: 4,454 2009 average attendance: 5,965
The Braves moved to Gwinnett County from Richmond for the 2009 season. The Richmond Braves' three-year contract at The Diamond runs through the 2010 season, but the Braves have the option to pull out after the 2008 season.
The Braves – to be called the Gwinnett Braves – left what one Braves official called the worst ballpark in Triple-A baseball for a new $45 million facility.
Under the agreement in Georgia, the Braves will pay annual rent of $250,000, plus a fee of $1 per ticket sold. The Braves guarantee Gwinnett at least $400,000 annually in ticket fees. The rent, but not the ticket fee, will be adjusted after each five-year period based on the Consumer Price Index.
Aside from the naming rights deal and a 50-50 split of parking proceeds with the county, the Braves retain all revenue from games and other team events in the ballpark. That includes ticket and suite sales, advertising signage and concessions.
The Braves are responsible for routine maintenance, such as cleaning, mowing and replacing light bulbs. The Gwinnet County Visitors Bureau is responsible for capital maintenance and repairs – big-ticket items that range from structural components to repainting, from seats to scoreboard.
To pay for capital maintenance and repairs, the GCVB is to keep a capital maintenance fund, which by Dec. 31, 2013, must contain a minimum of $500,000. The contract says that amount is not a limit on Gwinnett's responsibility and that if capital needs arise before Dec. 31, 2013, GCVB also must pay for those.
In 2007, a consulting firm concluded that the Gwinnett County provides “one of the strongest markets in the country to support a minor-league baseball team.”
That conclusion was contained in a draft report of the study, which was prepared by Convention, Sports & Leisure International, a Minnesota-based consulting firm. The Gwinnett Convention & Visitors Bureau hired the firm to study the feasibility of building a ballpark for a minor league team in Gwinnett.
Box seats in the new ballpark will cost $500 to $950 per season. (Baseball, Facilities, Financial, MinorLeagueVenueReport, Professional Sports)