Yogi Berra Stadium
Encyclopedia
Yogi Berra Stadium is a baseball stadium in Little Falls
, New Jersey, US, on the campus of Montclair State University
, which is located in Montclair
. The stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals
of the independent Can-Am League
as well as Montclair State's baseball team, and hosted the New Jersey Pride
of Major League Lacrosse
in the team's inaugural season in 2001.
Yogi Berra Stadium has an official seating capacity of 3,784 people. However, the stadium's actual capacity is much larger, as it is capable of holding overflow crowds with standing room and grass seating available in right field. These tickets are sold only in the event of an anticipated large crowd, such as on holidays or fireworks nights. As of 2011, Yogi Berra Stadium is one of two venues in New Jersey to host Can-Am League teams, with Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
in Newark, New Jersey
being the other; from 2006 to 2010 Yogi Berra Stadium shared that distinction with Skylands Park
in Sussex County, New Jersey
, which was home to the Sussex Skyhawks
.
Construction of the stadium was done in conjunction with another venue on the Montclair State campus. Floyd Hall
, a resident of Montclair who was then serving as chief executive officer of Kmart
, donated money to the university in order to build an ice arena, which is known as Floyd Hall Arena and is a multi-use facility that several of the area's high school hockey teams call home, and a new baseball stadium for Montclair State's team to replace their previous venue, Pittser Field. Around this time the Northeast League, an independent minor baseball league, was looking for a team to replace the Bangor Blue Ox
, which had folded. Hall bought into the league shortly thereafter and founded the Jackals, who were promptly given use of the new stadium once it was able to open. It was decided to name the stadium after Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra
, who called Montclair home during his playing days and managerial career with the Yankees and their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.
Despite construction delays keeping the Montclair State baseball team from using the new park (they remained at Pittser Field for one additional season; Pittser Field was then converted into a soccer only stadium), it opened for business in time for the Jackals' inagural game in May 1998. Despite the stadium only being partially finished, as construction on an addition continued throughout the season, fans hungry for economical entertainment flocked to the ball park for a fun night out, and the park is well-constructed with good sight lines and no obstructed views from any of its seats. The park's dimensions are 308 feet to each of the corner outfields and 398 to center field; according to the Jackals, this was done on purpose as another honor for Berra.
The addition was to house the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which features various baseball memorabilia from Berra's playing days and a reconstruction of the original scoreboard from Yankee Stadium among various other things. A skybox was constructed as part of the museum, and has very limited access- Berra, who signs autographs at the stadium at least once a season, is the primary user of the seats but on other occasions the Jackals will allow professional scouts to use the seating area. The museum addition was completed following the 1998 season and the final phase of construction was completed in early 1999 as the seating areas were renovated and extended, with seats going as far as left and right field and several reserved sections being replaced with box seats, installation of several concession stands and a second set of restrooms, a new team store, and a resurfacing of the stadium's walls with white stucco
.
Despite the popularity of the stadium in the summer months, since its construction Yogi Berra Stadium has been plagued with problems involving stadium accessibility. The stadium is located at the very top of Quinn Road, an access road to the campus that originates in neighboring Clifton on Valley Road and is only one-way going toward the stadium. The campus' two other entrances, on Normal Avenue in Montclair and Clove Road in Little Falls, both require fans to drive through portions of the campus to reach the stadium. The Normal Avenue entrance forces fans to drive down an extension of College Avenue, pass by the Panzer Athletic Center, Kasser Theater, admissions building, parking deck, and university police station to Carlisle Road, which runs into Quarry Road where the Clove Road campus entrance leads to and continues to the stadium. In addition, due to the Quinn Road ramp being closed to two way traffic, the only way to exit following games is to either take Clove Road, which leads to Route 46
, or drive back across campus on Carlisle Road and exit via Normal Avenue. In addition, there is no public transportation that directly serves the stadium. New Jersey Transit
buses and DeCamp Bus Lines
service the parking deck on the other side of campus and fans choosing to take the bus to the game can either walk from the parking deck across campus to the stadium or take one of the campus' shuttle buses which serve the shared parking lots the stadium uses. In addition, Montclair State's train station
is accessible via a staircase and walking path located steps from Yogi Berra Stadium's entrance as well as by campus shuttle.
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 10,855. It is located about from New York City....
, New Jersey, US, on the campus of Montclair State University
Montclair State University
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2009, there were 18,171 total enrolled students: 14,139 undergraduate students and 4,032 graduate students...
, which is located in Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. The stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals
New Jersey Jackals
The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Little Falls, New Jersey, in the United States. The Jackals are a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the independent Can-Am League
Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional, independent baseball league located in the Northeastern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is...
as well as Montclair State's baseball team, and hosted the New Jersey Pride
New Jersey Pride
The New Jersey Pride were a men's field lacrosse team formerly based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States. They played in Major League Lacrosse from 2001-2008.-Franchise history:...
of Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
in the team's inaugural season in 2001.
Yogi Berra Stadium has an official seating capacity of 3,784 people. However, the stadium's actual capacity is much larger, as it is capable of holding overflow crowds with standing room and grass seating available in right field. These tickets are sold only in the event of an anticipated large crowd, such as on holidays or fireworks nights. As of 2011, Yogi Berra Stadium is one of two venues in New Jersey to host Can-Am League teams, with Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium is a 6,200-seat baseball park in Newark, New Jersey, USA, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on July 16,1999, with former 1940's bear Yogi Berra throwing the ceremonial first pitch, as the tenants of the facility, the Newark Bears, took on the...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
being the other; from 2006 to 2010 Yogi Berra Stadium shared that distinction with Skylands Park
Skylands Park
CenturyLink Field at Skylands Park is a baseball stadium located in Augusta, New Jersey. Skylands Park opened in 1994 and was built for the New Jersey Cardinals, the New York-Penn League affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals called the park home until 2005, after which the team was...
in Sussex County, New Jersey
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
, which was home to the Sussex Skyhawks
Sussex Skyhawks
The Sussex Skyhawks were a professional baseball team that played at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey. The team was part of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent minor baseball league also referred to as the Can-Am League, from their inaugural season in 2006...
.
Construction of the stadium was done in conjunction with another venue on the Montclair State campus. Floyd Hall
Floyd Hall
Floyd Hall is an American business executive and sports team owner. Hall was the Chief Executive Officer of Kmart from June 1995–2001. During Hall's term in office, the chain sold off several specialty businesses to focus on its core discount store business, and enjoyed a string of quarterly...
, a resident of Montclair who was then serving as chief executive officer of Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, donated money to the university in order to build an ice arena, which is known as Floyd Hall Arena and is a multi-use facility that several of the area's high school hockey teams call home, and a new baseball stadium for Montclair State's team to replace their previous venue, Pittser Field. Around this time the Northeast League, an independent minor baseball league, was looking for a team to replace the Bangor Blue Ox
Bangor Blue Ox
The Bangor Blue Ox were a minor league baseball team based in Bangor, Maine. The team played in the Northeast League . The Northeast League was an independent baseball league and as such none of its teams had an affiliation with Major League Baseball...
, which had folded. Hall bought into the league shortly thereafter and founded the Jackals, who were promptly given use of the new stadium once it was able to open. It was decided to name the stadium after Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, who called Montclair home during his playing days and managerial career with the Yankees and their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.
Despite construction delays keeping the Montclair State baseball team from using the new park (they remained at Pittser Field for one additional season; Pittser Field was then converted into a soccer only stadium), it opened for business in time for the Jackals' inagural game in May 1998. Despite the stadium only being partially finished, as construction on an addition continued throughout the season, fans hungry for economical entertainment flocked to the ball park for a fun night out, and the park is well-constructed with good sight lines and no obstructed views from any of its seats. The park's dimensions are 308 feet to each of the corner outfields and 398 to center field; according to the Jackals, this was done on purpose as another honor for Berra.
The addition was to house the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which features various baseball memorabilia from Berra's playing days and a reconstruction of the original scoreboard from Yankee Stadium among various other things. A skybox was constructed as part of the museum, and has very limited access- Berra, who signs autographs at the stadium at least once a season, is the primary user of the seats but on other occasions the Jackals will allow professional scouts to use the seating area. The museum addition was completed following the 1998 season and the final phase of construction was completed in early 1999 as the seating areas were renovated and extended, with seats going as far as left and right field and several reserved sections being replaced with box seats, installation of several concession stands and a second set of restrooms, a new team store, and a resurfacing of the stadium's walls with white stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
.
Despite the popularity of the stadium in the summer months, since its construction Yogi Berra Stadium has been plagued with problems involving stadium accessibility. The stadium is located at the very top of Quinn Road, an access road to the campus that originates in neighboring Clifton on Valley Road and is only one-way going toward the stadium. The campus' two other entrances, on Normal Avenue in Montclair and Clove Road in Little Falls, both require fans to drive through portions of the campus to reach the stadium. The Normal Avenue entrance forces fans to drive down an extension of College Avenue, pass by the Panzer Athletic Center, Kasser Theater, admissions building, parking deck, and university police station to Carlisle Road, which runs into Quarry Road where the Clove Road campus entrance leads to and continues to the stadium. In addition, due to the Quinn Road ramp being closed to two way traffic, the only way to exit following games is to either take Clove Road, which leads to Route 46
U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
, or drive back across campus on Carlisle Road and exit via Normal Avenue. In addition, there is no public transportation that directly serves the stadium. New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
buses and DeCamp Bus Lines
DeCamp Bus Lines
DeCamp Bus Lines is a line-run operator serving Essex County, New Jersey with line run and charter service to and from Manhattan. Because there are no fixed stops other than termini, buses can be hailed to board; riders can request a stop to exit....
service the parking deck on the other side of campus and fans choosing to take the bus to the game can either walk from the parking deck across campus to the stadium or take one of the campus' shuttle buses which serve the shared parking lots the stadium uses. In addition, Montclair State's train station
Montclair State University (NJT station)
Montclair State University Station at Little Falls is a New Jersey Transit rail station in the Great Notch area of Little Falls, New Jersey on the Montclair-Boonton Line. It serves nearby Montclair State University as well as serving as a transfer station for trains on the line, and is located on...
is accessible via a staircase and walking path located steps from Yogi Berra Stadium's entrance as well as by campus shuttle.