Wheeler Field (Virginia Beach)
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox stadium
| stadium_name = Wheeler Field
| nickname =
| image = Wheeler Field VB.PNG
| image_size = 100px
| location = Landstown Road
Virginia Beach, Virginia, US
| broke_ground =
| opened =
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner =
| operator = Virginia Beach Neptunes
| surface = grass
| construction_cost = Around $40 million
| architect =
| tenants = Virginia Beach Neptunes (TBD)
Tidewater Community College (TBD)
| dimensions =
}}
Wheeler Field was a proposed 5,000-seat ballpark in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was supposed to host the Virginia Beach Neptunes of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an unspecified team in a summer wooden-bat league, and a junior college team from Tidewater Community College's Virginia Beach campus.{{cite news |last1=Souza |first1=Gabriella |title=Virginia Beach baseball stadium comes into focus |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/article_7a55e285-b824-5a7e-8cf7-8d8c934bd5a4.html |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=June 10, 2014 |accessdate=April 21, 2015}} Wheeler Capital, a limited liability company that specializes in venture capital financing and small business loans throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, purchased the naming rights for the stadium for an undisclosed amount through 2025.{{cite press release |date=April 21, 2015 |accessdate=April 21, 2015 |title=Neptunes Announce Stadium Naming Rights Agreement |url=https://ballparkbiz.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/neptunes-announce-stadium-naming-rights-agreement/ |publisher=Ballpark Business |website=BallparkBiz.com}}
History
In February 2014, Virginia Beach Professional Baseball received city council approval for a ballpark near the Virginia Beach Sportsplex with completion expected by April 2015.{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Andy |title=Virginia Beach approves stadium for minor league team |url=http://wavy.com/2014/02/11/virginia-beach-approves-stadium-for-minor-league-team/ |accessdate=October 26, 2017 |work=WAVY-TV |date=February 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026111446/http://wavy.com/2014/02/11/virginia-beach-approves-stadium-for-minor-league-team/ |archive-date=October 26, 2017}} The proposal included a {{convert|60000|sqft|m2}} building designed for Sentara sports medicine, team offices, and 13 recreational athletic fields surrounding Wheeler Field. Subsequent changes deferred three of the fields to a later second phase of the project with the ballpark opening in 2017 and the entire project estimated to cost $37 million.{{cite news |last1=Skelton |first1=Alissa |title=Virginia Beach Council approves changes for minor league baseball stadium |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/article_04b8343b-1ea6-5262-b159-e77b9b60a53d.html |accessdate=February 22, 2016 |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=November 4, 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Coord|36|45|58.75|N|76|05|32.19|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=title}}
External links
- {{cite web |title=Ballpark & Tournament Complex |url=http://vbneptunes.com/complex/ |website=Virginia Beach Neptunes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224131237/http://vbneptunes.com/complex/ |archivedate=February 24, 2015}}
- {{YouTube|id=42mi0az1n9M|title=Virginia Beach baseball stadium gets naming rights}}, WAVY TV 10, April 21, 2015