Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
in
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Winter Park was fo ...
. It is home to the
Rollins Tars
The Rollins Tars are the athletic teams that represent Rollins College, located in Winter Park, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Tars—an archaic name for a sailor—compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
teams.
The stadium was home to the
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs are a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league team located in Winter Park, Florida. The team is a member of the Florida Collegiate Summer League
The Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) is a six-team wo ...
wood bat
collegiate summer baseball league team from 2004 to 2015.
The stadium is named for
Harold Alfond
Harold Alfond (March 6, 1914 – November 16, 2007) was an American businessman who founded the Dexter Shoe Company and established the first factory outlet store.
Early life
Alfond was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on March 6, 1914, ...
, a longtime
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution.
History
Rollins Colle ...
booster. The land was donated it to the City of Winter Park in 1926 by local merchants James E. Harper and F.W. Shepherd.
Rollins obtained the property in 1933.
Past renovations included the clubhouse in 1983
and in 2002; a new scoreboard in 2004; and updated lighting in 2012.
2018 improvements include a
FieldTurf infield; safety netting; covered batting cages; a JV locker room; and a newly paved parking lot with new lighting. 2019 renovations will include improvements to the stadium and clubhouse.
In 2014 the site was considered for a new ballpark to host the
Brevard County Manatees
The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brevard County afte ...
(
Class A-Advanced
High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...
;
Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
) but the financial details didn't work out.
References
External links
Official website
Baseball venues in Florida
Buildings and structures in Winter Park, Florida
College baseball venues in the United States
Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
Rollins Tars baseball
Sports venues in Greater Orlando
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