Venue Detail
Texas Rangers
RSV Pro Facilities Report
March, 2013
Texas Rangers
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1000 Ballpark Way Arlington, TX 76011 Phone: 817-273-5222 Fax: 817-273-5206 URL: www.texasrangers.com Owner: Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan and other investors League: Major League Baseball, American League, Western
Venue
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, TX 76011 Owner: City of Arlington Managed by: Team Built: 1994 Capacity: 49,178 Permanent concession stands: 75 Concessionaire: Sportservice Suite caterer: Sportservice Soft drink: Coca Cola Beer: Multiple
Naming rights
Sold to: Ameriquest Mortgage Co. Price: $75,000,000 Term: 30 years Expires: 2034
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $577 to $3,660 Single tickets range from $11.00 to $585.00
Attendance
2010 average attendance: 30,928 2011 average attendance: 36,382 2012 average attendance: 42,719
Suites
Quantity: 129 Term: 1 to 5 years Price: $60,000 to $225,000 Seats: 10 to 22 Includes: Tickets, parking. Party suites lease for $1,750 to $9,500 per game. The suites hold up to 200 fans.
Club seats
Quantity: 5,699 Term: 1 to 1 years Price: $3,888 to $8,100 Includes: Tickets, in-seat wait staff.
Financing
The $191 million ballpark included $135 million in revenue bonds financed through a 0.5 cent sales tax. The rest of the cost came from the team.
Seat licenses
The original sale, before the ballpark opened in 1994, was for seat option bonds, not PSLs per se. The bonds were securities created through the City of Arlington. The bonds matured in 2008 and buyers got their full investment back. The cost was $500 to $5,000 and some 8,400 were sold, raising $17 million. The money provided cash for constructing the venue. After the ballpark opened, the seats were sold as seat options, good for 15 years at the same price.
Upgrades were made to the ballpark for the 2012 season. The $11.5 million in improvements to the center-field plaza area including new concession areas, more restrooms, individual seats in center field, and a beautiful restaurant and bar connected to a children’s play area.
The Rangers are particularly proud of the Captain Morgan Club, 9,100 square feet of air-conditioned restaurant and bar space on two floors, which will be open to anyone with a ticket.
The Batter’s Eye Club is a 6,250-square-foot, air-conditioned, indoor seating area that is rented to groups. It includes seating for at least 100 people. If the club is not rented out for a game, individual tickets will be sold. Fans can check with the box office, but tickets will be available at least two weeks ahead of time, Matwick said.
The concession area includes Ryan Express 34, with Nolan Ryan meats, a taqueria and a regular American hot dog stand.
The $191 million ballpark was financed by private investors and through a half-cent city sales tax increase which is responsible for $135 million of its cost. The Rangers have a ballpark lease which allows them to keep all ticket revenue, including $7 million annually from luxury suites. The Rangers pay the City of Arlington, which owns the ballpark, up to $5.5 million annually in rent and ticket surcharges.
For the 2012 season, the Rangers added a new sports bar and concession stands, an air-conditioned children's play area and additional club seating.
To help give fans relief from the elements, the Rangers created a 23,000 square-foot air-conditioned indoor space. That includes a two-story restaurant and sports bar with views of the field, a Kids Zone to replace the outdoor Vandergriff Plaza Sports Park and a 100-seat Batter's Eye Club atop Greene's Hill in center field.
The renovations came one year after the team spent $13 million to install new video boards and overhaul the ballpark's aging audio and video systems. Because the 2012 improvements are more permanent, Arlington is allowing the team to pay for labor and construction supplies under tax-exempt status, saving an estimated $600,000 in sales taxes.
In 2004, the team reached a deal with Ameriquest for a naming rights, but in 2007, the team ended the agreement saying it wanted to put its brand on the ballpark.
Signs are sold as part of packages that range in price from $250,000 to $1.4 million. The stadium also features a Diamond Club restaurant that seats 500.
A TGIFridays once offered a restaurant at the ballpark, but in 2004 that space was taken by Sports Destination Entertainment for a Rawlings All American Grille.
Game-day luxury suites lease for $4,500 to $11,700, depending upon the size. (Baseball, Facilities, Financial, MLB, Professional Sports)