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The Design
With the cranes and construction, downtown Fayetteville almost looks like a college campus.
The photo above, which was taken from beyond left-center field, shows the Prince George Hotel (currently going through renovation) behind the first-base stands, the parking garage rising behind the main seating bowl, and a large crane in between. The crane is being used to lift materials to the parking garage. It’s located in the “view corridor” between the hotel and garage.
In the coming months, this scene will be quite different, as the Hyatt Place hotel will be constructed on top of the garage, with a rooftop pool that will peer down into the ballpark.
Segra Stadium: a ballpark like no other.
As we’ve discussed, the park is very much a creature of its site (see the site plan in the photo below). For instance, the upper level isn’t symmetrical. It is more like a “J” shape, a la Chattanooga or Kannapolis. One assumes that this was done so it wouldn’t encroach on the train station.
This tends to bunch the amenities behind home and first base, which means that fans sitting near the left-field corner have a longer walk to concessions and restrooms.
Almost by necessity, the sense of intimacy in this park is fantastic — certainly the best of the four new ballparks of 2019. The main bowl has a limited number of rows, very much unlike Las Vegas. The upper level is cantilevered out toward the field. All in all, this place has a wonderful, cozy feel, while avoiding the “cave effect” found in Nashville where the front of the upper deck hangs too low over field boxes below.
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| Hanging on the wall on the upper level is this site plan. It gives you a good idea of the teardrop shape of this “funky piece of land,” as Reid Ryan calls it. |
An interesting area of the main bowl is in sections 127 and 128 near the right field foul pole. Here the sections turn toward the infield to give fans a great view of the pitcher and catcher. At the rear of Section 128 are picnic tables that can be rented by groups.
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| The view of the main seating bowl from the playing field. This shows you the “J” shape of the upper level, necessitated by the crazy constraints of the site. |
In addition to the Astros, Populous and the City, there was another entity who was brought in to provide input on the park’s design. Jason Freier is Chairman and CEO of Hardball Capital, which owns three Minor League teams including the Columbia Fireflies. “Columbia was kind of the model that the Astros and the City were looking at,” explained Populous’ Bower. “After the folks from the City toured the park in Columbia, they said ‘Hey, let’s just re-create Columbia.'”
Construction costs had increased significantly from when Spirit Communications Park (now called Segra Park) was being built in 2015. That prevented Fayetteville from creating an exact duplicate of the facility in South Carolina’s capital … but there were still design elements borrowed from it.
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| The Field Suites are between the concourse and the last row of seats. The first time I saw these was at Columbia, SC’s park. |
One such concept originally championed by Freier are the suites along the rear of the field-level seats. In Columbia, they are called Concourse Suites. Here they are Field Suites, and they can accommodate groups of up to 12.
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| The Dugout Suites put you incredibly close to the field of play. |
There are also suites adjacent to the dugouts. They can accommodate up to 10 fans. Like the ones in Amarillo, you are quite close to the action.
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| Healy’s is an instant hit, as there is lots of room near it for yard games and socializing. |
Taking a cue from First Tennessee Park in Nashville, the area near the right-field foul pole is Segra Stadium’s social zone. “Healy’s Bar is going to be the premier destination for downtown,” said Zarthar. “Right field is the more adult, night-time entertainment area. Healy’s will stay open well past the end of our games, and it will be open on game days and non-game days.
“There’s an adjacent landing deck with field turf for cornhole, foosball, lounge furniture — similar to The Band Box in Nashville,” he added.
Just to the left of the batter’s eye is an ingenious area equipped with rocking chairs (photo below). In left field is the berm and behind it, the kids play area. This is the part of the ballpark that isn’t squeezed into its location, as this is the portion of the site at the top of the “teardrop.”
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| In a perfect world where your site has ample room, you wouldn’t have a concession stand positioned like this. In the other photo, rocking chairs with a great view of the field are in left-center field. |
On the main concourse behind home plate, there are some funny angles and positioning. All of this is a result of the cramped confines of the site.
Down the first-base line is a structure with two batting tunnels. The tunnels can be viewed from within the park or the outside.
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| Like at Amarillo, the batting tunnels can be viewed from the main concourse and from outside of the park. And like Hodgetown, the netting can be moved out of the way and a good-sized, air-conditioned meeting room can be created. |
Let’s now venture up to the upper level of Segra Stadium.
The level is arranged in an unusual manner. Most new parks put a fancy lounge directly behind home plate and luxury suites emanate out from it. Not here.
At Segra Stadium, the pressbox is at the very end of the upper level. Unlike at Hodgetown in Amarillo, this isn’t a bad thing. That’s because in Fayetteville, the press and broadcast area is at the third-base end, which is the side that is far shorter than down the first-base line. While that doesn’t line it up exactly with home plate, it’s far, far closer to the batter than the pressbox that’s at the first-base end at Hodgetown.
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| The AEVEX Veterans Club on the first-base end of the upper level is stunning. “You’ll be surprised you’re in a Minor League ballpark with the quality of the countertops and backsplashes,” notes team President Zarthar. |
Next to the press and production area are the six suites, and as you’d expect, they are very nice. The seating in front of them follows the traditional arrangement of sloping rows as opposed to the flat “patios” in Amarillo.
Farther down the first base line is the lovely AEVEX Veterans Club (see photo above). AEVEX is a defense contractor with a big presence in the area. On the end of the upper level is the large Corona Party Deck.
And circling the entire footprint of the park is a 360-degree concourse. “We’ve learned from doing a few of these over the years that people really like to be able to walk all the way around and get different perspectives of the field,” said Astros owner Crane. He added that if the team decides to expand the facilities in the outfield at some point, the concourse will already be in place.
Heaven knows there’s no room to expand in the infield.
As mentioned earlier, the color scheme used throughout the park is based on the official colors of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at nearby Fort Bragg. Mike Sabatini, Populous’ Lead Project Designer for Segra Stadium, provided a list of other ways the park’s design honors the military:
- The corrugated metal used in the batting cages and the press level is to represent the military installations (toughness and resiliency);
- The outfield bar was always intended to be a place for the men and women of the armed forces to hang with family and friends;
- The wayfinding sign design takes its cues from the patches worn by our military;
- This was not intended, but the four columns that are at the main entry seem to stand at attention as you enter the stadium.
And given the extreme constraints — and shape — of the site, the architectural design of the park’s interior is remarkable.
“I think pound for pound, we have the best ballpark in Minor League Baseball,” Zarthar said proudly. “It’s not a large venue, but we’ve packed in all of the features you’d see in a large Triple-A park.”
The Essentials
So a great deal of effort has gone into making the the ballpark inviting to the 50,000 military members living nearby.
On opening night, the Black Daggers — the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Parachute Team from Fort Bragg — floated onto the field. The Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Command, Michael Garrett, threw one of the ceremonial first pitches. The National Anthem was sung by the 82nd Airborne Division Chorus. And best of all, two AH-64 Apache helicopters (see photo) provided the flyover at the anthem’s conclusion.
If you have even one drop of patriotic blood in you, it was all very moving.
So there’s a concerted effort to honor the military at Segra Stadium. But what is it like to attend a game if you’re not a soldier?
Rest assured, military personnel and non-personnel alike will certainly enjoy themselves. And let’s start with the shining star of the gameday experience here: The Birds’ Nest Team Store.
Tremendous credit needs to go to Brittany Tschida, the Woodpeckers’ Retail Manager. She worked closely with the Astros’ front office in Houston to select items for the store and, just as important, to assign them reasonable prices.
The “L” shaped Birds’ Nest offers a dizzying array of apparel — some with an Army look (think camo) and some not. And I was happy to see a strong emphasis on women’s and children’s items here.
And where The Las Vegas Ballpark had no lapel pins on its opening night, Segra Stadium had six different designs, all reasonably priced at $6.
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| Even though the Birds’ Nest Team Store is jammed with merchandise, it still isn’t difficult to navigate your way around. |
In fact, it might be the low pricing that is the most stunning aspect of the team store. Both men’s and women’s adjustable caps are $20, while fitted caps are $35. I couldn’t resist buying one of the $20 green-camo caps with an embroidered Woodpeckers logo. Kids’ ballcaps are $15 and $20, and their tee shirts are $15. Adult tees are $20 and $25, and it was great to see at least a dozen different designs in women’s tees.
And if these prices weren’t low enough, active and retired members of the military get 10% off, which I loved to hear.
Of the four new parks in affiliated baseball this year, Fayetteville is the winner when it comes to variety and pricing of merchandise. And keep in mind, the Woodpeckers are at the lowest level (Single-A) of the four. Remarkable.
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| While the options in apparel are mind-blowing, the non-apparel merchandise is impressive, too. |
What are the other costs like when you’re attending a game? Since the team doesn’t control any of the parking, there isn’t a uniform price to park your car, but City-owned lots charge $10 on game days. As a friend who attended an evening game the second week the park was open told me, there is plenty of on-street parking for free once they stop charging at 5:00 on weekdays. The City confirmed that they have 615 such on-street spaces within a seven-minute walk of the ballpark.
Tickets for reserved seats behind the backstop cost $15 (Mondays through Wednesdays), $16 (Thursdays and Sundays) or $17 (Fridays and Saturdays). They are $13-$15 behind the dugouts and $11-$13 farther down the baselines. The rocking chairs in left-center field are $13-$15. The Picnic Zone near the right-field foul pole requires a group of at least 20 and costs $35 (and up) per person and includes a buffet.
With a General Admission ticket, you can spread out on the berm, stand at a drink rail or, if you arrive early enough to snag a spot, sit at a counter top in front of Healy’s Bar in right field. GA tickets cost $9 Mondays through Wednesdays, $11 on Thursdays and Sundays, and $12 on Friday and Saturdays. Seniors 60 and over and children 12 and under are a dollar less, and like in the team store, active and retired military get 10% off any ticket any day of the week.
Should you be annoyed that those serving our country get to pay less than you to see a game? No. No you shouldn’t. And when you see one of them at a Woodpeckers game, thank them for their service.
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| There’s a lot to see here. Obviously, Healy’s Bar is the heart of Segra Stadium’s “social zone.” The seats with counters in front of it are first-come-first-served — so buy a general admission ticket and arrive early. In the upper right-hand corner is the cutely named Landing Deck, which can also be occupied with a GA ticket. To the far right are the tables in the Picnic Zone, which require a group of at least 20. |
The Woodpeckers have an interesting way of handling the pricing for groups. The cost per person depends on the size of the group, the day of the week, and whether the group wants to sit on the berm or in reserved seats. For instance, a group of 25 who wants reserved seats on a Friday or Saturday will pay $10 a ticket. A group of 125 who is OK sitting on the berm and wants to come on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday would pay only $5.
For groups who want to sit (or stand) in what the team refers to as “luxury” areas, they would pay $900 (and up, depending on the day of the week) for 20 people to book an upper level suite, $420 and up for 12 fans in a field suite and $400 and up for 10 folks in a dugout suite. If a group wants to book the Corona Party Deck, it costs $50 for Mondays through Thursdays. All these “luxury” areas include a buffet.
For those not getting to eat a buffet, the concessions at Segra Stadium are adequate, but I would never put them on the level of, say, Triple-A parks in Las Vegas, Charlotte or El Paso.
They have the basics covered very well, though. At Sgt Stubby’s Hot Dogs behind home plate, they feature three dressed-up dogs that all cost $7.50. The Firecracker Dog is topped with pulled chicken, spicy slaw, sriracha aioli and jalapenos.
If you’d prefer a burger, Astros fans will appreciate the name of the Bagwell’s Burgers stand down the first-base line. They also have three featured items, and they all cost $9.75 and start with a half-pound patty. The one called Pit Boss is topped with cheddar, pulled pork, a fried onion, BBQ sauce and a pickle.
And, of course, there are kiosks and stands scattered around the concourse featuring ballpark fare like brats, sausages, wings, nachos, BBQ, cheesesteaks and ice cream.
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| In the original plans for the park, the Home Plate Bar was to be uncovered, according architect Noll. When they realized that it would be a really popular spot during rain delays, they decided to put a roof over it. |
On the beverage side of things, the Home Plate Bar has real possibilities — and the artwork on one wall (shown at the top of this section) is truly eye-catching. The bar features beers from Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing and offers cocktails in mason jars. There are are even plastic “bats” filled with beer — and they’re refillable. I saw quite a few of them being carried around the park.
As far as ballpark features that fans expect these days, the sound system is more than adequate and the Daktronics video board — at 25′ by 70′ — is spectacular. The Kids Zone in left field is spacious and includes a miniature infield and a wonderful jungle gym.
Team President Zarthar is right: all the amenities you’d want are packed into this cozy package.
Summary
In addition to honoring the military and keeping things fun and affordable for families, the Woodpeckers are fiercely committed to supporting charitable endeavors in Fayetteville.
Huggins, the team’s Community and Media Relations Manager, is justifiably proud of the Community Leaders Program. She is the Director of this project, which lines up firms to contribute into a fund that is used on worthwhile causes in the area. “We had five corporate sponsors who donated $65,000 so we could invest a total of $100,000 in the community charity,” she explained. The logos of those five are displayed on a large sign just to the left of the video board in left field.
According to a release from the team, “the Community Leaders Program will facilitate the team’s investment of time, energy, and resources in support of youth sports and military service members and their families.” Recipients thus far include Rick’s Place, that will send 50 military children to summer camp, and the Massey Hill Buddy Baseball Program for disabled children. The fund replaced their scoreboard that had been destroyed during Hurricane Matthew.
It’s certainly been an interesting ride for Huggins.
“I was here (at the site of the ballpark) in 2017 as Miss North Carolina and I sang the National Anthem at the groundbreaking ceremony,” she recalled. While the stadium was under construction, the team hired her. She then “sang for the ribbon-cutting, so it was a full-circle moment. I went from a crown to a hard hat to a baseball cap,” she quipped.
The owners of the Woodpeckers, the Astros, are quite pleased with how the park turned out. Team President Ryan pointed out that the two batting tunnels, a spacious weight room and space for studying video are “all very important to us because they are big parts of the (players’) development.”
And as he looked around Segra Stadium, he added, “All of this is set up to grow better Astros baseball players, but it’s really to grow the game of baseball.”
It’s remarkable the way the stadium was squeezed into its site, without any loss of amenities. And it’s heartwarming that there’s a ballpark that is playing matchmaker between baseball and the military. The National Pastime and the nation’s military create a perfect marriage.
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