Campbell's Field

Campbell's Field

Location 401 North Delaware Avenue
Camden, NJ, United States
Owner Camden County
Operator Rutgers–Camden
Capacity 6,425
Field size Left field
325 feet (99 m)
Center field
405 feet (123 m)
Right field
325 feet (99 m)
Surface grass
Construction
Broke ground June 15, 1999
Opened May 11, 2001
Construction cost $25 million
Architect Clarke Caton Hintz
Tenants
Camden Riversharks (AL) (2001–2015)
Rutgers–Camden (NJAC) (2001–present)
Saint Joseph's (A-10) (2009–2011)
A-10 Tournament (2008, 2010, 2011)
Temple (AAC) (2014)

Campbell's Field is a 6,425-seat baseball park in Camden, New Jersey, United States that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 11, 2001. The ballpark is home to the Rutgers–Camden college baseball team, and until 2015 was home to the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The naming rights are owned by the Camden-based Campbell Soup Company, which paid $3 million over ten years.

The park, located at Delaware and Penn Avenues on the Camden Waterfront, features a commanding view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge connecting Camden with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River. Views of the Philadelphia skyline are seen from the right-field grandstand and via "Campbell's Field Cam", a stationary weather camera, are broadcast on KYW-TV.

History

Ground was broken for the ballpark on June 15, 1999, with former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman in attendance. Campbell's Field was funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, a loan from the Delaware River Port Authority, a grant from Rutgers University, and private financing obtained by the builder, Quaker Construction. During construction, the stadium was owned by the Cooper's Ferry Development Association. Upon completion, it became the property of Rutgers, which signed a lease with Camden Baseball, LLC to operate the stadium in conjunction with the Atlantic League.[1]

The new ballpark involved a $24 million construction project that included $7 million for environmental remediation costs. Prior to construction, Campbell’s Field was a vacant, undeveloped parcel of land that historically housed businesses that included the Campbell Soup Company Plant No. 2, Pennsylvania & Reading Rail Road’s Linden Street Freight Station, David Baird & Company’s lumber mill and Eavenson & Sons’ soap manufacturing company.[2]

Campbell's Field opened in May 2001, and was one of the projects designed to spark urban renewal in Camden. The ballpark was honored in 2003 by DigitalBallparks.com and in 2004 by Baseball America as the "Ballpark of the Year." Campbell's Field has been honored with several local awards, including the Camden County Improvement Authority Entertainment Award in 2000, the International Masonry Institute Golden Trowel Award in 2001, the Urban Land Institute's Award for Excellence in 2002, the Downtown New Jersey Excellence Award, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association Good Neighbor Award, and the Distinguished Award for Engineering Excellence given by the Consulting Engineers Council of New Jersey in 2003.[3]

In April 2009, Campbell Soup announced that it would continue to have its name on the ballpark at least through 2020.[4]

In 2011 Campbell's Field is where the United States national rugby league team achieved victory in the Atlantic pool of 2013 Rugby League World Cup qualifying, booking the nation's first ever Rugby League World Cup appearance.[5]

Campbell's Field was bought in August 2015 by the Camden County Improvement Authority (CCIA).[6] In October 2015, after failing to reach an agreement with CCIA, the stadium's primary professional tenant, the Camden Riversharks, ceased operations.[7]

College baseball

Since its opening in 2001, Campbell's Field has hosted home games for the Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors baseball team.

On July 14, 2004, Campbell's Field hosted the Atlantic League All-Star Game.[8] It is scheduled to host the 2013 Atlantic League All-Star Game.

The ballpark also hosted the 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament,[9] in which the University of North Carolina-Charlotte defeated Xavier University in the championship game to win the tournament.[10] The field also hosted the tournament in 2010 and 2011, with Saint Louis winning in 2010 and Charlotte in 2011.[11] The St. Joseph's University baseball team played six games at Campbell's Field in 2009 and its entire home schedule in 2010. The Saint Joseph's baseball program made the park its full-time home until the completion of its on-campus facility in 2012.[12]

Temple University played all but one of their conference games at Campbell's Field for the 2014 season, which would be their last season.[13]

Ballpark attractions

As part of its naming rights contract, the concessions at Campbell's Field feature several Campbell's Soup Company products such as V8 beverages, Pace salsa, and Pepperidge Farm rolls and snacks.[14] A traditional ballpark menu is also available, with hot dogs produced by the Philadelphia-based Dietz & Watson Inc. Additional options are available at the Picnic Pavilion, that includes items from a local barbecue restaurant called Fat Jack's BBQ. The Flying Fish Brewing Company, based in nearby Cherry Hill, caters to beer connoisseurs in the pub area.[15]

The Acme Fun Zone is a playground are that provides entertainment for children. The zone is hosted by the Riversharks mascot, Finley, and includes a carousel and various inflatables. It was formerly called the Utz Fun Zone and Holman Fun Zone.

Campbell's Field offers multiple seating options for its patrons. Executives can enjoy the Diamond Café, which includes a gourmet buffet, with a waiting service, and views of the Philadelphia skyline and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The Skyline & Bridge Suites, private rooms available for conferences or meetings, also offer views the skyline and professional catering.

Rugby league

In 2011, Campbell's Field hosted the Atlantic Qualifiers tournament for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. The competition ran from October 15 to 23 and was contested by the United States, South Africa, and Jamaica.[16] The United States won the tournament to gain a spot in the World Cup for the first time in its history.[17]

Concerts

On June 16, 2005, Bob Dylan performed at the stadium during his 2005 North American Tour.

On June 5, 2009, Campbell's Field hosted the popular hip-hop artists T-Pain & Flo Rida.[18]

Campbell's Field

References

  1. ↑ O'Connor, Jayne; Gene Herman (June 15, 2000). "Governor Breaks Ground for Ballpark; Unveils Battleship New Jersey". Office of the Governor. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  2. ↑ "Historic Camden Waterfront Redevelopment Includes Entertainment, Recreation and Residential Projects Bringing New Jobs and Visitors". NJ Brownfields Redevelopment Update 2001 – Efforts – Camden. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 2001. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  3. ↑ Clarke Caton Hintz page on Campbell's Field
  4. ↑ "Business News in Brief: Campbell to buy N.J. bakery". Philadelphia Inquirer. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  5. ↑ Venue announced for 2013 World Cup Atlantic Qualifiers rleague.com, August 4, 2011
  6. ↑ CCIA agrees to buy Campbell's Field
  7. ↑ Riversharks end operations in Camden after 15 years
  8. ↑ "Atlantic League All Star Game Managers Announced". Camden Riversharks. July 5, 2004. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  9. ↑ "Rhode Island: Hagey and Zaneski Named to Atlantic 10 Baseball All-Conference Team". NCAA.com. May 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  10. ↑ "Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament, Camden, NJ". NCAA-Baseball.com. May 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  11. ↑ "Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Record Book" (PDF). CSTV. Atlantic 10 Conference. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Facilities: Campbell's Field". The Official Athletic Site. St. Joseph's University. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  13. ↑ "Temple Baseball Owlsports.com". The Official Athletic Site. Temple University. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  14. ↑ "Fat Jack's Picnic Area". Camden Riversharks. March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  15. ↑ "Fat Jack's Picnic Area". Camden Riversharks. March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  16. ↑ "New Jersey to host qualifier". sportinglife.com. September 27, 2011.
  17. ↑ RLEF Media (October 23, 2011). "USA Advances to World Cup". wearerugby.com.
  18. ↑ "Fat Jack's Picnic Area". Camden Riversharks. April 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-08.

External links

Coordinates: 39°57′1″N 75°7′40″W / 39.95028°N 75.12778°W / 39.95028; -75.12778

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