Beloit Snappers to give fans a chance to name the stadium–and for a good cause
BELOIT, Wis. (WTVO) – If you’ve ever wanted to have a stadium named after you, the Beloit Snappers are giving you the chance.
Fore every remaining home game at Pohlman Field this season, the Snappers are auctioning off the naming rights to the new ballpark.
This will be the first time in professional baseball history that a stadium’s name will be up for auction, to raise money for the Stateline Boys and Girls Club.
“Exciting, humbling, you know the opportunity to be involved with the Snappers in something like this is tremendous,” said Stateline Boys and Girls Club CEO Mark Rand.
Rand says he was surprised when he got a call from Jeff Jurgella, president of the Beloit Snappers.
“They do amazing things and we’re awfully excited to be a part of that,” said Jurgella.
Especially after a year of challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 obviously slowed things a little bit but we’ve got a lot of great people [and] a lot of community leaders that believe not only in what we’re doing but in our project and what it can do for the community,” Rand said.
The donations from Pohlman Field will help the Boys and Girls club build a new $5.5 million facility in Beloit, as well as making renovations to the building in South Beloit.
“Played a lot of games on this field in high school and prior to high school so it’s just a great opportunity for our clubs our kids and our community as a whole,” said Rand.
Rand says the new facility will provide kids a safe and positive space where they can do homework, get mentoring, and a place for them to create a future for themselves.
“It’s just an opportunity for us to reach more kids. It’s a larger facility in Beloit. It’s more centrally located so it will eliminate some of those transportation issues….Ultimately, it’s to be able to reach more kids and impact the community as a whole,” added Rand.
Officials hope to have construction finished by December.
Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the stadium’s naming rights through MiLB Auctions leading up to each game held at Pohlman Field in 2021. The winning bidder for each game will be able to choose the stadium’s name for the night and will receive eight tickets to the game, two vinyl signs displayed at the stadium featuring their stadium name, public address announcements throughout the game, a radio interview during an inning, inclusion of their stadium name on the team website, the opportunity to lead the singing of the seventh-inning stretch, and a group photo with team mascot Snappy.
“We’re very excited to offer our fans the ultimate ballpark experience in 2021. Our stadium belongs to the community, and there is no better way to show that than letting the fans choose its name each night. For the fan who has always dreamed of having their name up in lights, being able to enjoy a game at YOUR stadium is an unforgettable and unprecedented experience,” team president Jeff Jurgella said.
Game dates will be up for auction beginning today, Wednesday, April 14. The starting price for each auction is $500 dollars and the auction for each game will end a week prior to the date selected.
Fans wanting to secure their date also have a “buy-it-now” option, which is $1,000 for weekday games (Tuesdays-Fridays) or $1,500 for weekend games (Saturdays and Sundays).
