TD Ameritrade Park Omaha

TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
Location	1200 Mike Fahey Street Omaha, Nebraska 68102
Coordinates	41°16′00″N 95°55′52″W / 41.2666667°N 95.93111°W / 41.2666667; -95.93111
Broke ground	January 21, 2009 [1]
Opened	April 18, 2011 (Open House)
Owner	City of Omaha
Operator	Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority
Surface	Kentucky Blue Grass
Construction cost	$131 Million ($131 million in 2011 dollars[2])
Architect	HDR Inc., DLR Group, and Populous
Project Manager	Kiewit Corporation
Capacity	24,505 (expandable to 35,000) Largest Crowd = 26,271 (2011 CWS Championship Game 2) [3]
Field dimensions	Left Field Line – 335 feet (102 m) Left-Center Power Alley – 375 feet (114 m) Center Field – 408 feet (124 m) Right-Center Power Alley – 375 feet (114 m) Right Field Line -335 feet (102 m) [3]
Tenants
College World Series Creighton Bluejays Omaha Nighthawks Red Sky Music Festival

TD Ameritrade Park Omaha^[4] is a baseball park in Omaha, Nebraska. It became the home field of the College World Series after the NCAA signed an agreement to keep the CWS in Omaha until at least 2035 if the ballpark was built. "The Trade," as the park is sometimes called, is also the home of the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. In the spring, TD Ameritrade Park is used as the home field for Creighton University Bluejays Baseball and hosts the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament.

TD Ameritrade Park has a capacity of 24,000 people, with the ability to expand to 35,000 spectators.^[5] The ballpark was expected to cost $128 million^[6] to construct and is located near the CenturyLink Center Omaha.

Attempts have recently been made to bring a professional baseball team to TD Ameritrade Park, but legal troubles have prevented this from occurring any earlier than 2013.^[7]

History

Groundbreaking for TD Ameritrade Park occurred January 21, 2009.^[6] It was announced on June 8, 2009 that TD Ameritrade, a company based in Omaha, will carry the naming rights for the new stadium.^[8] The official announcement came from TD Ameritrade's Chief Executive Officer Fred Tomczyk on June 10, 2009.^[9]

On April 15, 2010, it was announced that the Omaha Nighthawks, Omaha's team in the United Football League, will play their first season in Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium and then move to TD Ameritrade for 2011 and beyond. The football gridiron will be laid along a line extending from home plate down the first base line into right field. ^[10] On December 15, 2010 it was announced that TD Ameritrade Park Omaha will host a 6-day, multi-genre, music festival in July called Red Sky Music Festival. It will host concerts all day in the parking lots of Qwest Center Omaha (soon to be CenturyLink Center) and TD Ameritrade Park. Each night there will be a main concert held inside TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and Qwest Center Omaha.

The original Hammond organ from Rosenblatt Stadium has been restored and will be used during games at TD Ameritrade, although musician Lambert Bartak (since retired) will not be the organist. ^[11]

The new stadium opened April 19th, 2011 with a game between Creighton and Nebraska. TD Ameritrade Park replaced Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as the home of the CWS.

First Game

The first game was played on April 19 between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Creighton Bluejays. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by TD Ameritrade CEO Fred Tomczyk. It was a game of many firsts for the park including first Balk and first hamster races. The Cornhuskers defeated the Bluejays by a score of 2–1, In front of a paid attendance of just over 22,000 (A sellout) and a scanned attendance of just over 18,000, making it the most attended game of the collegiate season.^[12]

See also

• Sports in Omaha
• Downtown Omaha
• TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)
• TD Bank Sports Center (Hamden, Connecticut)
• TD Bank Ballpark (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
• TD Ameritrade
• TD Bank

References

1. ^ "Project Report". MECA. 2009-03-24. http://www.omahastadium.com/reports/3-24-09%20Number%201%20FINAL.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-08. 
2. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Omaha Stadium Proposal – Stadium FAQs". http://www.omahastadium.com/site/stadium-faqs.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-08. 
4. ^ Stage set for stadium prep work
5. ^ "Creighton to play at new ballpark". Omaha World-Herald. 2009-10-27. http://www.omaha.com/article/20091027/NEWS01/910279979. Retrieved 2009-10-27. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Ground Breaking For New Stadium
7. ^ "Pro ball downtown? Unlikely in '12". Omaha World-Herald. 2011-09-14. http://www.omaha.com/article/20110914/NEWS01/709149932. Retrieved 2011-09-18. 
8. ^ http://www.omaha.com/article/20090609/NEWS01/306099997/0/FRONTPAGE
9. ^ "Stadium gets its name". Omaha World Herald. 2009-06-10. http://omaha.com/article/20090610/NEWS01/906109986. Retrieved 2009-06-10. 
10. ^ "Some Omaha fans will be on top of the action with tight configuration". Omaha World Herald. 2010-4-21. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100420/SPORTS/704209819. Retrieved 2010-4-21. 
11. ^ "Organ transplant for new ballpark". Omaha World Herald. 2011-3-5. http://www.omaha.com/article/20110305/NEWS01/703059893#organ-transplant-for-new-ballpark. Retrieved 2011-3-5. 
12. ^ "Ballparks Dry Run Goes Well". Omaha World Herald. 2011-4-19. http://omaha.com/article/20110419/NEWS01/704209891/0#ballpark-s-dry-run-goes-well. Retrieved 2011-4-20. 

External links

• TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
• Plans unveiled for downtown Omaha ballpark
• Stadium debate takes a new direction
• Omaha's College World Series deal is for 25 years
• Welcome to TD Ameritrade Park

Gallery

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  Construction of the stadium; September 2009

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  TD Ameritrade Park; During construction; August 2010

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  Steel structure being added to stadium; March 2010

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  Construction of the stadium; August 2010

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  Entrance to TD Ameritrade Park; May 2011

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  MVC Tournament at TD Ameritrade Park; May 2011