Sports Park gets a facelift with new electronic scoreboard and welcomes Tampa Bay Rays

Charlotte County Stadium was home to spring training for the Texas Rangers for over fifteen years. When the Rangers left, it also left the ballpark stadium without quite a bit of income. Since it was rather old and desperately in need of upgrades, the stadium was redone and welcomed the Tampa Bay Rays.

Port Charlotte is a lovely Florida town in between Tampa and Ft Myers. It has experienced spurts of growth that have gradually expanded it into a small little big town. When the Rangers departed the Charlotte County Stadium, seeking bigger facilities, the authorities of Charlotte County Stadium realized they had to do something about the condition of their stadium to bring in the bigger teams.

Charlotte County Stadium is part of what is known as the “Grapefruit League”. These are the spring training stadiums for the major league baseballs teams. Florida’s uniquely year round excellence in weather offers the baseball teams the best practice environment. However, all stadiums that are to be considered part of the “Grapefruit League” must comply with a list of standardized rules. For Charlotte County Stadium to remain in the “Grapefruit League” they would have to make some changes.

An agreement was made with the Tampa Bay Rays to have around $27.2 million spent on renovating the stadium. These extensive changes literally meant stripping the stadium down and adding all new facilities. One of the keynote features that was planned was a wooden boardwalk, also known as the “Baseball Boardwalk”. As a signature feature, it has the ‘tiki hut’ which is in center field and serves as a bar pretty much throughout the game. The scoreboard was custom built into the boardwalk and not very far from the ‘tiki hut’ and that offers a unique difference as the fans can set their drinks down on railings that are all around the scoreboard. A variety of both covered and uncovered areas were set aside for catered and private parties and include deck chairs for comfortable viewing by the attendees. The dugout areas are so large that fans can view those from many different angles of the grandstand. The only smaller area seems to be the press box.

The design, or rather re-design of the Charlotte County Stadium did cause a bit of an inconvenience when it came to the concession areas. In a time when we are all accustomed to a more open field, easy access ability, the concessions stands are actually behind the grandstands.

A smart move on the part of the planners was to add a kid’s clubhouse area as well as some picnic grounds. This offers a more inviting family atmosphere and opens opportunities for additional enjoyment time at the stadium. The area is segregated from the game activities which offers a sense of privacy and yet still close to the game.

Anyone that wants to attend an exciting spring training game can purchase tickets, experience the fun and sun of Florida and enjoy the rather unique accoutrements of the Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte, Florida.