The sporting civil war has ended at Royal Athletic Park.
Relations between the Victoria Seals and the City of Victoria-owned facility were often testy during the Seals鈥� two seasons in the now-defunct independent pro Golden Baseball League.
But a new era of co-operation seems to have bloomed between the city and the Victoria HarbourCats, which begin their inaugural season Wednesday in the West Coast League.
鈥淭here has been an openness and desire on the part of the city to work together with us to improve the fan experience at the park,鈥� said HarbourCats owner John McLean. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e gone through the experience of what works and what didn鈥檛 work.鈥�
And that can only be a good thing, as anyone who waited in long beer lines 鈥� often missing up to an inning or more of Seals action 鈥� can attest.
鈥淓veryone learns something from past experiences,鈥� said Kate Friars, director of parks, recreation and culture for the City of Victoria.
鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to address the issues as best as we can.鈥�
Former Seals owner Darren Parker, who has bought season tickets for the HarbourCats, acknowledged mistakes were made by both the city and Seals. 鈥淏ut kudos to both the HarbourCats and the city for getting this deal done and making this happen. It鈥檚 nice to have baseball back.鈥�
Improvements and changes to the Caledonia Street park have been ongoing this spring. A new, portable fence-on-wheels has been purchased in a cost-sharing arrangement with the HarbourCats. It can be swiftly taken down within 30 minutes for soccer and just as quickly re-installed for baseball, making Royal Athletic Park a multi-use facility. The old fence used by the Seals took hours to take down and put up and even blew over a couple of times during windy games 鈥� hardly the stuff of high-level ball.
鈥淔ans are going to see a huge difference with this fence,鈥� said Friars.
Other changes to the park affect the dugouts, bullpen and dressing-rooms. Home plate has been moved 15 feet closer to the back grandstand to make for a more cosy setting.
In the end, Royal Athletic Park is a baseball park attached to a soccer stadium, noted McLean. 鈥淏ut when you put 2,000 or so fans into that baseball corner of the park, it becomes a very intimate setting.鈥�
That鈥檚 what he plans to focus on in terms of game-night atmospherics.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also invested heavily in a ticket-scanning system that will make it much more convenient for fans,鈥� added McLean.
鈥淲e want fans to feel like they鈥檝e had a good time at the park and received good value for their money. The score and standings are important. But most importantly, we want fans to go home from the park saying they had fun.鈥�
The $400,000 video scoreboard, formerly owned by the Seals, has been transferred to city ownership and will be partially operational for HarbourCats games.
鈥淲e approached the Seals owners and worked out a deal [to buy the scoreboard],鈥� said Friars, without offering specifics.
鈥淚t was not for the full cost but for a fraction of the cost 鈥� that we thought was reasonable.鈥�
But video replays will not be offered this season on the board. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an enhancement we hope to add in the future,鈥� said Friars.
For next season, the city is planning to add backs to the bleacher bench seats along the first- and third-base lines. For this year, the HarbourCats team has purchased a tarp to cover the field surface during rain 鈥� a baseball-stadium necessity the park had lacked.
Meanwhile, outside food-cart vendors will be on site this season in addition to existing city-run concessions, and a larger barbecue/party area will be initiated.
鈥淲e hope fans appreciate the thoughtfulness that has gone into improving the ballpark,鈥� said HarbourCats general manager Holly Jones.
鈥淔rom the new ticketing system to the food vendors, it鈥檚 the small touches that matter. We want to make this a family-friendly and memorable experience.鈥�
The HarbourCats and city have signed a three-year deal through the 2015 season. The city will receive 50 cents from every ticket sold, while the HarbourCats will receive 30 per cent from park concession sales and the city will collect the balance.
But what about those infamous beer lineups that can make even the most happy-go-lucky fans snarly?
鈥淸City] staff has looked at the logistics to make those lines move faster,鈥� said Friars.
鈥淎nd we will debrief and make adjustments as we go.鈥�
Mayor Dean Fortin quipped: 鈥淚鈥檒l put on an apron and sell beer myself if that鈥檚 what it takes.鈥�
