Pigeon
Forge, TN – November 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / Construction is
underway on the Ripken Experience Pigeon Forge, a $22.5 million youth baseball
complex, after Cal Ripken Jr. and Pigeon Forge Mayor David Wear dug trenches
with backhoes to launch the project.
Ripken, a member of the Baseball
Hall of Fame, represented his company, Ripken Baseball, at the groundbreaking
event.
The city-owned complex has
six fields and is designed as a tournament destination for elite youth
baseball. Pigeon Forge has
a 10-year contract with Ripken Baseball to market and manage the facility,
which will host world-class youth baseball tournaments nine months of the
year and offer year-round branded programming, including events.
Each field borrows its design
from well-known professional ballparks, including Oriole Park at Camden
Yards in Baltimore.
The others are Calfee Park
in Pulaski, Va., the oldest park in the Appalachian League; Fluor Field
in Greenville, S.C., known as “Little Fenway”; Engle Stadium in Chattanooga,
Tenn., a filming location for the “42” movie about Jackie Robinson; BB&T
Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, N.M.
“Pigeon Forge is an excellent
location for our new facility, and soon, this ground will be home to thousands
of young ballplayers running, playing and competing. We all look forward
to that day,” Ripken said.
Opening Day will be in spring
2016. The Ripken Experience Pigeon Forge will look out onto the Great Smoky
Mountains and will feature a two-level clubhouse with more than 14,000
square feet, a 2,749-square-foot concession/restroom building with an adjacent
pavilion, as well as the six lighted synthetic turf fields.
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(L) Cal Ripken Jr. at the
controls of a backhoe for groundbreaking.
(R) Ripken and Pigeon Forge
Mayor David Wear.
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“Youth sports is an almost
$9 billion industry in the U.S., and the Ripken
Experience Pigeon Forge will steer some of that business to us. For
several years, we have hosted summertime softball tournaments at our city
park and have seen the impact of sports. However, this investment by the
city means we’re taking youth sports to a totally new level. Teaming up
with Cal and Bill Ripken puts us on the map immediately,” said Pigeon Forge
Mayor David Wear.
The Pigeon Forge location
is Ripken Baseball’s third Ripken Experience complex. The others are in
Aberdeen, Md., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Ripken Experience Aberdeen
powered by Under Armour is in the Ripkens’ hometown and is the site of
the Cal Ripken World Series, which brings 10 teams of 12-year-old players
from around the world to compete for a World Championship title each summer.
The Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach features elite baseball and softball
competition for 13- to 18-year-olds and is used as a spring training facility
for college and high school teams.
Information about visiting
Pigeon Forge is available online at MyPigeonForge.com
or by calling toll-free to 800-251-9100.
About Ripken Baseball,
Inc.
Ripken
Baseball, Inc. is a sports entertainment company based in Baltimore,
Md., that represents the business interests of Cal Ripken Jr. and Bill
Ripken. Established in 2001, the mission of Ripken Baseball is to inspire
athletes through remarkable experiences. Ripken Baseball currently owns
and operates multiple Minor League Baseball teams and plays host to numerous
youth tournaments, camps and clinics at the Ripken Experience baseball
complexes in Maryland and South Carolina.
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Media Contacts:
Tom
Adkinson, APR
for Pigeon Forge Department
of Tourism
615-341-8796
Katy
Ford
Maroon PR
for Ripken Baseball
443-695-8099 |