Chukchansi Park

Chukchansi Park, formerly known as Grizzlies Stadium, is a city-owned baseball stadium located in Fresno, California, United States, completed in 2002 as the home for Minor League Baseball's Fresno Grizzlies. The first game was May 1, 2002. Located in downtown Fresno, it was designed to be an anchor in the rehabilitation of the area, as other commercial development is planned in the Central Business District Loop. The ballpark is also used for music concerts, motocross events, and high school football.

Chukchansi Park
Former namesGrizzlies Stadium (2002–2006)
Location1800 Tulare Street
Fresno, California
United States
Coordinates36.7321°N 119.7905°W / 36.7321; -119.7905
Public transitAmtrak Greyhound Lines Fresno Fresno Area Express (FAX)
OwnerCity of Fresno
OperatorFresno Sports Management, LLC.[1]
Executive suites33
Capacity10,650
Record attendance16,000+ (2012)
Field sizeLeft field: 324 ft (99 m)
Center field: 402 ft (123 m)
Right field: 335 ft (102 m)
SurfaceGrass
ScoreboardCost: $2,000,000
2,000 sq ft (190 m2)
Construction
Broke groundAugust 8, 2000[2]
OpenedMay 1, 2002
Construction cost$46 million
($74.8 million in 2022 dollars[3])
ArchitectPopulous
Project managerHuber, Hunt & Nichols[1]
Structural engineerAdvanced Structural Design, Inc.[4]
Services engineerBredson & Associates, Inc.[5]
General contractorMauldin-Dorfmeier[1]
Tenants
Fresno Grizzlies (PCL/Low-A West/CL) 2002–present
Fresno FC (USLC) 2018–2019
Fresno FC U-23 (USL2) 2006–2018
Fresno FC Ladies (WPSL) 2015–2018
Website
fresnogrizzlies.com

History

Upon the 1998 arrival of the Grizzlies minor league baseball team in Fresno, a group of developers proposed building a stadium in downtown Fresno as a permanent home for the club.[6] There was extensive debate over how much money the City of Fresno would contribute to the project. Ultimately the stadium was built entirely with public money and then leased back to the owners of the Grizzlies for 30 years at $1.5 million per year.[7]

The stadium was designed by Populous, the firm responsible for many of today's sports stadiums like Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Petco Park, Comerica Park and Oracle Park in San Francisco. The $46 million facility seats 10,650, with left field dimensions of 324 ft (99 m); center field, 400 ft (120 m); and right field, 335 ft (102 m). The ballpark features 600 club seats and 32 luxury suites[8]

In September 2006, Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, affiliated with the Chukchansi tribe, announced it would be the premier corporate sponsor for Grizzlies Stadium, in a 15-year, US$16 million deal.

In August 2011, the stadium served as a filming location for Parental Guidance. During the game, Billy Crystal threw out the first pitch in character and later appeared on the Grizzlies radio broadcast for an inning.[9][10][11]

One of the stadium's most popular events is an annual "taco truck throwdown" where food trucks compete for best taco according to the event's judges. Based on the event, the team designed and wore taco-oriented jerseys.[12]

Attendance records

The stadium's attendance record was set on July 10, 2015 when Chukchansi Park hosted an exhibition soccer game between Mexican soccer clubs Chivas and Atlas, in front of 16,824 fans.[13] The stadium's second attendance record was set on June 27, 2012 when Chukchansi Park hosted an exhibition soccer game between Mexican soccer clubs América and Chiapas of the Primera División, in front of a crowd of 16,125 fans;[14] breaking the previous record set on March 26, 2008 when the Grizzlies played their parent club, the San Francisco Giants, in an exhibition game in front of 14,084 fans.[15]

On March 27, 2015, Liga MX teams Cruz Azul and León faced off an international friendly match in front of a crowd of 15,087 spectators, the third largest crowd recorded at Chukchansi Park.[16]

On May 11, 2012, the Grizzlies fell to the Iowa Cubs in front of 14,023 fans, which is the largest regular season crowd in franchise history.[17]

  • Chukchansi Park aerial view
    Chukchansi Park aerial view
  • Chukchansi Park aerial view
    Chukchansi Park aerial view
  • Morning view at Chukchansi Park looking east
    Morning view at Chukchansi Park looking east

See also

References
  1. "Stadiums Under Construction". SportsBusiness Journal. March 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  2. "Site Work at Stadium to Begin". The Fresno Bee. August 8, 2000. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  3. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. "Specialty Projects". Advanced Structural Design, Inc. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  5. "Pro Baseball Sports Facilities". Bredson & Associates, Inc. Archived from the original on April 10, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  6. Lichtblau, Eric (December 28, 1998). "Fresno in Hardball Battle Over Stadium Plan". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  7. Nolte, Carl (April 28, 2002). "Hopes for a homer / Fresno's dreams of development rest on new ballpark". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. "Facilities: Grizzlies Stadium". SportsBusiness Journal. May 13, 2002. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  9. "Billy Crystal Movie Screening is Dec. 20 in Fresno". Business Street. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. Hill, Benjamin (January 9, 2013). "Grizzlies are ready for their closeup". milb.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. "Hollywood Movie to be Filmed in Fresno; Billy Crystal Tweets He's A-Lister". KMPH-TV. August 23, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  12. "Taco Truck Throwdown returns to Downtown Fresno". ABC30. August 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  13. "Mexican soccer clubs set Chukchansi Park attendance record". The Fresno Bee. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. "Stadium Record 16,000+ Pack Mexican Club Soccer Match at Chukchansi Park". The Fresno Bee. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  15. "Grizzlies Set Attendance Record". Minor League Baseball. March 27, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  16. "Mexican Clubs Draw 15,087 to Chukchansi Park". The Fresno Bee. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  17. Warszawski, Marek (May 11, 2012). "Record Crowd Sees Fresno Grizzlies Fall to Iowa". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
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Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Fresno Grizzlies
2002–present		 Succeeded by
current
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