Operator Knights Baseball, LLC Broke ground September 14, 2012 Opened 22 March 2014 Phone +1 704-274-8300 Owner Mecklenburg County | Surface Grass Capacity 10,200 Team Charlotte Knights Construction cost 54 million USD | |
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Location 424 West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 Field size Left field: 330 feet (100 m)
Center field:400 feet (120 m)
Right Field:315 feet (96 m) Architect Odell Associates, Inc. in association with BallparkDesignAssociates Address 324 S Mint St, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA Similar Carolinas Aviation Museum, Levine Museum of the New, Freedom Park, Billy Graham Library, Discovery Place | ||
BB&T Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Uptown-area stadium hosts the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the International League.
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History
An Uptown stadium for the Knights had been a long-running saga in Charlotte, occasionally the subject of contentious debate. Since the dawn of the new millennium, the Knights had consistently had the worst attendance in the International League. Their stadium at the time, Knights Stadium, was located in Fort Mill, South Carolina, 30 minutes south of Uptown Charlotte. Many fans were unwilling to brave the traffic on Interstate 77 to get there.
The project had been repeatedly blocked by Jerry Reese, a Charlotte lawyer who claims the land swap is illegal. Reese has ambitions to move a Major League Baseball team to Charlotte and views a Triple-A sized stadium for the Knights as a detriment.
In August 2006 the stadium became the source of more debate, as Mecklenburg County commission chairman Parks Helms said he would stall an arts project until the Charlotte City Council looked at a proposal he backed to bring baseball to Uptown.
Furthermore, it could expand the Atlantic Coast Conference's plans to return the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament to Charlotte. The ACC tournament had been held at Knights Stadium until the NCAA's ban on South Carolina having predetermined championships took effect because of NAACP pressure in relation to the boycott of the state by the organization.
Multiple new mid-rise hotels are expected to open in the area around the new stadium, along with restaurants and retail.
The first event held at the ballpark was a media softball game, which took place on March 22, 2014. The first Knights game took place on April 11, 2014.
Naming rights
On April 23, 2012, it was announced that BB&T acquired the naming rights for the new ballpark. The terms of the deal were undisclosed and the ballpark will be officially referred to as BB&T Ballpark indefinitely.
The stadium features a two-level club with skyline views as well as a VIP, climate-controlled club with full service bar. In total, there are 975 club seats and 22 luxury suites at the ballpark.
It is thought to be slightly friendlier to hitters than typical minor-league parks. Knights general manager Scotty Smith said that due to the limited lot size, the foul lines are a few feet shorter than minor-league guidelines.