Thanks to a $40 million renovation, baseball fans attending the first day of spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa will be treated to a whole new ballgame.
- Renovation added new lounges, cabanas, and pavilions
- All seats in the stadium have been replaced
- Food menu upgraded with gourmet touches
The first major renovation since Steinbrenner Field opened in 1996, the updates took two years to complete. Funding came from the Yankees, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Sports Authority.
"It's more than just going to a baseball game," said Tony Bruno, senior vice president, Yankee Global Enterprises. "It's about having a great time at a baseball game and in order to do that, we had to provide new amenities."
Yankees' fans will find pictures of their favorite players gracing the stadium's walls. Also, several new lounges, cabanas and pavilions with tents and misters to keep people cool during games and events have been added.
"They're going to be able to sit and stand in social spaces that didn't exist before," said Bruno. "We want this to be a social setting,"
Photo: Laurie Davison, staff
Eating at the game will also be a new experience for fans.The ballpark's new menu features stadium staples like hot dogs and hamburgers upgraded with gourmet touches.
"With the new renovations here at the stadium, we added a smoker, so we're able to incorporate a lot of smoke items into our program," said Matt Gibson, senior executive chef for the New York Yankees. "Really at the end of the day, we wanted to focus in on the basics, we wanted to make the basics better, the best that they possibly could be."
Inside the stadium, every seat has been replaced. A wrap-around, open air concourse allows fans to watch the game from different vantage points.
Finally, the field itself has been adjusted, so it's more like Yankee Stadium in New York City.
"It's all about the experience," said Bruno. "We think we've got the greatest fans in the world but more important than that, we've got the greatest community in the world and they're going to be so proud of this building."
Photo: Laurie Davison, staff