Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins introduce new park design
Features such as Standing Room Only Social Section aim to appeal to millennials
Less than a week after removing a 76-foot home run sculpture from center field, the Miami Marlins are taking advantage of the new real estate.
On Tuesday, the team unveiled plans for design changes to Marlins Park, creating a new Center Field Zone and Standing Room Only Social Section. The two additions will provide new vantage points at the park where the gaudy
home run sculpture, Homer, previously stood. Passes for the sections will start as low as $10 per game.
“Our goal is to make Marlins Park an entertainment venue that appeals to all, from the baseball fan to the avid business networker,” Marlins president of business operations Chip Bowers said in a news release.
“As we look to further engage the burgeoning millennial audience in Miami, the new feature will provide an option for an enhanced social environment to meet the demand of the new generation of baseball fans.”
Miami is also changing its outfield wall from green to blue and adding an ivy backdrop in left-center field below the Budweiser Bar.
The Center Field Zone will be three levels, totaling 2,250 square feet and a spectator capacity of 400. The top will be accessible to all fans from the Promenade Level, the middle will be an exclusive standing view platform with drink rail for Standing Room Only Social Pass holders, and the lower lever will be an exclusive group hospitality space.
The standing room only section will be in the foul territory corner of right field, taking the place of the former 10 rows of Sections 1-3. The section will hold more than 200 fans and provide five-tiered drink rails. Changes are expected to be completed before next season.
The Marlins were able create the space after officially receiving county permission in October to move the home run sculpture, which was created for $2.5 million ahead of the team’s 2012 move to Marlins Park. “Homer” will now reside in the plaza outside the stadium.
Under its new ownership group, led by Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, the Marlins have made it a priority to improve fan experience at the ballpark. Bowers, a former executive with the Golden State Warriors, said in August that a standing room only areas would be part of an effort to reengage with the Miami and millennial audience, which he feels haven’t been properly served.
“We have not done a great job of marketing toward Miami,” Bowers said in August.
“We haven’t paid enough attention to people a little bit closer to us — so Wynwood, Brickell. You see how Miami has evolved so much over the past five years. How do we embrace the millennial segment? How do we embrace Coconut Grove, Coral Gables? We feel there’s an opportunity to do something at a low price point.”