Skylands Park

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Skylands Park
nickname =


fullname =
location = 94 Championship Place
Augusta, NJ 07822
coordinates =
broke_ground =
built =
opened = 1994
renovated =
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner =
operator = Sussex Skyhawks
surface = Natural Grass
construction_cost =
architect =
structural engineer =
services engineer =
general_contractor=
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names =
tenants = Sussex Skyhawks (Can-Am League) (2006-"present")
Newark Bears (Atlantic League)
(1999)
New Jersey Cardinals (NY - Penn League) (1994-2005)Vernon Township High School Football (2007- 3 games)
seating_capacity = 4,300
dimensions = Left Field: 330 ft
Center Field: 392 ft
Right Field: 330 ft

Skylands Park is a baseball stadium located in Augusta, New Jersey. The official seating capacity of Skylands Park is 4,356. It has been the home of the new Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League since the 2006 baseball season.

History

Ground was broken in the fall of 1993 for a new park that would host the relocated Glens Falls, New York Redbirds. The winter of 1994 brought the worst weather in several years to North Jersey, but the new ballpark managed to open on time that June, although the luxury boxes were not completed until the following year.

The park is designed to look a little bit like a farm complex from the outside. Augusta has long been the home of dairy farms, and the Cardinals wanted to make their stadium blend in.

In 1999, the field hosted several games for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, prior to the completion of their new home, Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. In addition, the Sussex County Colonels of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, a summer league for college-eligible players, made Skylands Park their home for several seasons.

The stadium was the home field for the New Jersey Cardinals of the New York - Penn League from 1994 to 2005. Following the 2005 season, the Cardinals were sold and subsequently relocated to State College, Pennsylvania where they are now known as the State College Spikes.

On January 10, 2006, it was announced that Skylands Park would be the home to the newly named Sussex Skyhawks in the Can-Am League. On May 29, 2006, the Skyhawks played their first regular season game at Skylands Park, dropping an 18-11 decision to the North Shore Spirit.

On September 7, 2007, the first football game to ever be played at Skylands Park was won by the Vernon Township High School Vikings, in a 33-14 win over the Newton High School Braves. Vernon played three of its six home games at the ballpark due to construction of their new, state-of-the-art field located at the high school. Vernon's large school drew very large crowds to all three of their games, with their final game at Skylands being a 27-0 loss to the eventual Sussex County Interscholastic League Champions, the Kittatinny Regional High School Cougars. Vernon went 1-2 in their 3 games at the ballpark.

External links

* [http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2001/Augusta_NJ/AugustaNJ.htm Skylands Park Views - "Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues"]
* [http://www.sussexskyhawks.com/ Sussex Skyhawks official website]