Sovereign Bank Stadium
Encyclopedia
Sovereign Bank Stadium is a 5,200-seat baseball park
in York, Pennsylvania
that hosted its first regular season baseball game on June 16, 2007, as the tenants of the facility, the York Revolution
, defeated the Newark Bears
, 9-6. Located on Codorus Creek
, the facility had been in the planning stages since 2003, but local politics and funding temporarily halted the plans. The city of York demolished 20 buildings in the Arch Street neighborhood in June 2006, with construction beginning in September 2006. Due to inclement weather, Sovereign Bank Stadium opened one month later than originally planned. The naming rights were purchased by Sovereign Bank
, a banking institution based in nearby Reading
, for $2.7 million over ten years.
Sovereign Bank Stadium was honored as the Ballpark of the Year by the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball following the end of its 2008 regular season. The award recognizes the efforts of the Revolution staff and groundskeepers, judging such criteria as field conditions, stadium operations, cleanliness, and atmosphere.
, but that opportunity slipped away. The ballpark was originally slated to be located at Small Athletic Field, on York City School District property. The district board vetoed the stadium as they believed that their money could be better used for a more practical renovation plan for Small Athletic Field. Over the span of three years, ballpark planning weathered many inclines and declines until a hard-fought agreement was made to build in the Arch Street neighborhood. Other locations that were considered but never came to fruition were Hoffman Field, the home of the former York White Roses, and the Ohio Blender site.
Sovereign Bank Stadium hosts the New Year's Revolution, the city's New Year's Eve celebration in which a large White Rose is dropped to count down to the New Year. The event's name alludes to a New Year's resolution
and the Revolution baseball team. The former venue for the White Rose drop was the city square.
Sovereign Bank Stadium features the Brooks Robinson Plaza at the homeplate entrance of the ballpark. The plaza features a statue of Brooks Robinson
, along with information related to his 23-year career in professional baseball. In 1955, Robinson played with York's previous team, the White Roses, and at the end of the season was signed by in the Baltimore Orioles
. The ballpark itself resembles Oriole Park at Camden Yards
, in tribute to Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles
, the local Major League
favorite. The dimensions are the same as those of the former Memorial Stadium
, the Orioles' previous home.
In addition to the Brooks Robinson Plaza, the official postal address of Sovereign Bank Stadium was changed to 5 Brooks Robinson Way in the fall of 2007. The change was made to honor Robinson's baseball career, which started in the city of York.
At 37 feet, 8 inches (11.5 m), the left field wall of Sovereign Bank Stadium is taller than any other fence in professional baseball, including the famous Green Monster
at Fenway Park
, home to the Boston Red Sox
of Major League Baseball
. The Green Monster measures at 37 feet, 2 inches (11.3 m) high, but the Arch Nemesis in York stands 6 inches (15.2 cm) taller. The first home run over and the first base hit off of the wall came in York's second game at the stadium on June 16, 2007.
The height of the left field wall was increased to help compensate for a small stadium site. Architects were challenged to fit a ballpark between Arch Street and a parallel railway line less than 600 feet (182.9 m) away and to provide a minimal amount of onsite parking (200 spaces) in the same plan. The best overall layout for the site placed the left field foul pole close to Arch Street and about 300 feet (91.4 m) from home plate, a condition that is known as a Short Porch and represents an easy home run opportunity for professional baseball players. Since moving the foul pole any further from home plate would require expanding the site by disrupting Arch Street (not an option), the planners increased the height of the left field fence to make home runs more challenging, given the short foul line.
The name is a play on words in light of the following facts:
The nickname also suggests a malevolent presence in the same style and spirit as the Green Monster moniker.
DownTown Playground, an amusement section that features a carousel, a jungle web, playground equipment, and various inflatables. The playground is hosted by the Revolution's mascot, DownTown. The First Cap Team Store, the York Revolution's official souvenir and apparel vendor, remains open throughout the year at the home plate entrance of Sovereign Bank Stadium.
Sovereign Bank Stadium has multiple seating options. A lawn seating area, named Capitol Hill, provides room for 1,600 fans. The name "Capitol Hill
" alludes to a metonym for the United States Congress
, which passed the Articles of Confederation
on November 15, 1777 in the city of York, and to the "hill
" landform. Executives can reserve one of five function rooms that overlook the field, with a total capacity of 300. These rooms include the Keystone Room, the Pennsylvania State Room, the Tri-State Room, the Piedmont Room, and White Rose Hall. The name of each room refers to York's geography: Keystone for Pennsylvania's official nickname, the Keystone State; the Tri-State area
including Pennsylvania
, Maryland
, and Delaware
; the Piedmont
plateau region; and York's official nickname, the White Rose City. The conventional seating at the ballpark includes 5,200 green, chairback seats divided into two levels by an open, 360-degree concourse.
Sovereign Bank Stadium features a miniature, fully functional cannon that is fired when one of the Revolution batters hits a home run or when the team scores a home victory. The cannon is operated by a mascot named Cannonball Charlie, who wears a costume resembling a period Continental Army
uniform.
band, Blues Traveler
, on June 14, 2008. A couple of months later, the Christian rock
band, Sevenglory
, played a post-game concert for the Revolution's Faith & Family Day, a celebration of York's Christian
community.
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
that hosted its first regular season baseball game on June 16, 2007, as the tenants of the facility, the York Revolution
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, defeated the Newark Bears
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
, 9-6. Located on Codorus Creek
Codorus Creek
Codorus Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in York County, Pennsylvania in the United States.-Course:Codorus Creek rises on Beecher Hill in Manheim Township, just north of the Pennsylvania-Maryland line and the town of Lineboro, Maryland...
, the facility had been in the planning stages since 2003, but local politics and funding temporarily halted the plans. The city of York demolished 20 buildings in the Arch Street neighborhood in June 2006, with construction beginning in September 2006. Due to inclement weather, Sovereign Bank Stadium opened one month later than originally planned. The naming rights were purchased by Sovereign Bank
Sovereign Bank
Sovereign Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spanish Grupo Santander. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the bank—whose principal market is in the Northeastern United States—has more than $77 billion in assets, operates 723 retail banking offices, over 2,300 ATMs and employs approximately 8,500...
, a banking institution based in nearby Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, for $2.7 million over ten years.
Sovereign Bank Stadium was honored as the Ballpark of the Year by the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball following the end of its 2008 regular season. The award recognizes the efforts of the Revolution staff and groundskeepers, judging such criteria as field conditions, stadium operations, cleanliness, and atmosphere.
History
The city of York had been trying to pursue the construction of a baseball stadium for ten years. It seemed to be coming together in 2003, until politics and financial pressure prevented the ballpark from being built. Many Yorkers hoped to see a team fielded in the same inaugural season as the neighboring Lancaster BarnstormersLancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, but that opportunity slipped away. The ballpark was originally slated to be located at Small Athletic Field, on York City School District property. The district board vetoed the stadium as they believed that their money could be better used for a more practical renovation plan for Small Athletic Field. Over the span of three years, ballpark planning weathered many inclines and declines until a hard-fought agreement was made to build in the Arch Street neighborhood. Other locations that were considered but never came to fruition were Hoffman Field, the home of the former York White Roses, and the Ohio Blender site.
Sovereign Bank Stadium hosts the New Year's Revolution, the city's New Year's Eve celebration in which a large White Rose is dropped to count down to the New Year. The event's name alludes to a New Year's resolution
New Year's resolution
A New Year resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous. A New Years Resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year...
and the Revolution baseball team. The former venue for the White Rose drop was the city square.
Brooks Robinson Plaza
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
, along with information related to his 23-year career in professional baseball. In 1955, Robinson played with York's previous team, the White Roses, and at the end of the season was signed by in the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. The ballpark itself resembles Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
, in tribute to Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, the local Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
favorite. The dimensions are the same as those of the former Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
, the Orioles' previous home.
In addition to the Brooks Robinson Plaza, the official postal address of Sovereign Bank Stadium was changed to 5 Brooks Robinson Way in the fall of 2007. The change was made to honor Robinson's baseball career, which started in the city of York.
The Arch Nemesis
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, home to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. The Green Monster measures at 37 feet, 2 inches (11.3 m) high, but the Arch Nemesis in York stands 6 inches (15.2 cm) taller. The first home run over and the first base hit off of the wall came in York's second game at the stadium on June 16, 2007.
The height of the left field wall was increased to help compensate for a small stadium site. Architects were challenged to fit a ballpark between Arch Street and a parallel railway line less than 600 feet (182.9 m) away and to provide a minimal amount of onsite parking (200 spaces) in the same plan. The best overall layout for the site placed the left field foul pole close to Arch Street and about 300 feet (91.4 m) from home plate, a condition that is known as a Short Porch and represents an easy home run opportunity for professional baseball players. Since moving the foul pole any further from home plate would require expanding the site by disrupting Arch Street (not an option), the planners increased the height of the left field fence to make home runs more challenging, given the short foul line.
The name is a play on words in light of the following facts:
- The tall left field wall borders upon Arch Street.
- Home run attempts follow an arching flightpath.
- A tall outfield wall is the primary formidable opponent (or arch nemesisArchenemyAn archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
) to arching home run attempts.
The nickname also suggests a malevolent presence in the same style and spirit as the Green Monster moniker.
Four scoreboards
In addition to a modern, animated, full-color electronic scoreboard in right field, Sovereign Bank Stadium features an old-fashioned, manually operated scoreboard at the base of the Arch Nemesis in left field. A manual scoreboard is another characteristic shared between York's tall outfield wall and its counterpart in Boston, Massachusetts. Two additional monochromatic, non-animated electronic scoreboards on the façade of the skybox level, one along the first base line and another along the third base line, display game status.Other ballpark attractions
Additional attractions include the Bud Light Picnic Pavilion, with a capacity for 600 fans, that features a menu with traditional ballpark fare as well as regional favorites. Children at Sovereign Bank Stadium can enjoy the WeisWeis Markets
Weis Markets, Inc. is a chain of supermarkets based in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, with a presence in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Maryland. In 2011, it operates 162 stores in five states.-History:...
DownTown Playground, an amusement section that features a carousel, a jungle web, playground equipment, and various inflatables. The playground is hosted by the Revolution's mascot, DownTown. The First Cap Team Store, the York Revolution's official souvenir and apparel vendor, remains open throughout the year at the home plate entrance of Sovereign Bank Stadium.
Sovereign Bank Stadium has multiple seating options. A lawn seating area, named Capitol Hill, provides room for 1,600 fans. The name "Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
" alludes to a metonym for the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, which passed the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
on November 15, 1777 in the city of York, and to the "hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
" landform. Executives can reserve one of five function rooms that overlook the field, with a total capacity of 300. These rooms include the Keystone Room, the Pennsylvania State Room, the Tri-State Room, the Piedmont Room, and White Rose Hall. The name of each room refers to York's geography: Keystone for Pennsylvania's official nickname, the Keystone State; the Tri-State area
Tri-state area
There are a number of areas in the 48 contiguous United States known as tri-state areas where three states either meet at one point or are in proximity to each other. The best known of the latter type is the New York metropolitan area...
including Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
; the Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
plateau region; and York's official nickname, the White Rose City. The conventional seating at the ballpark includes 5,200 green, chairback seats divided into two levels by an open, 360-degree concourse.
Sovereign Bank Stadium features a miniature, fully functional cannon that is fired when one of the Revolution batters hits a home run or when the team scores a home victory. The cannon is operated by a mascot named Cannonball Charlie, who wears a costume resembling a period Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
uniform.
Concerts
The first major concert at Sovereign Bank Stadium featured the blues-rockBlues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band, Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
, on June 14, 2008. A couple of months later, the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band, Sevenglory
Sevenglory
Sevenglory is an American christian rock band from Indiana. They were formed in 2001, and are currently signed to 7Spin Music. The band is currently composed of Gabe Johannes , Caleb Johannes and Kurt Felsman .-History:...
, played a post-game concert for the Revolution's Faith & Family Day, a celebration of York's Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
community.