The new Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves has its name: CoolToday Park.
The National League Team announced Tuesday it will partner with the home service company on the name of its new Sarasota County ballpark. CoolToday Park will host its first game on Sunday, March 24 with the Braves taking on the Tampa Bay Rays.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The new stadium, located in the West Villages area, is estimated to cost around $140 million.
"As part of our commitment to maintain a lifelong relationship with our community, this partnership with the Braves organization, City of North Port, and Sarasota County will cement our presence and strategy for southern Sarasota County,” said Jaime DiDomenico, President/Owner of CoolToday.
“The Braves have a proven track record of building strong ties to the community they operate in and we look forward to enhancing those ties going forward. I’m very excited about what the future holds.”
The 20-year agreement includes scoreboard and dugout signs for CoolToday as well signs on the exterior of the ballpark and promotional opportunities for events.
“This is a new chapter in Braves history and one that strengthens Florida as our home away from home,” said Mike Plant, President and CEO of Braves Development Company. “CoolToday and the Braves share deep roots in the state of Florida and we couldn’t imagine a more perfect partner for this facility.”
Florida has been the home of Braves spring training for 96 of the last 103 seasons, including each of the last 73 springs since 1946. They are tied for the longest consecutive run of training in Florida of any team in baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers have also trained in Florida every year since 1946.
CoolToday Park is being developed by the Braves in partnership with Sarasota County, the City of North Port and West Villages/Mattamy Homes. Ground breaking on the facility took place on October 16, 2017.
The team has played at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex near Kissimmee since 1997.
The Braves are scheduled to play their final spring training game of the 2019 season on March 24 in North Port. The rest of their home spring training games will be played in Kissimmee.
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