Everett Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports complex in
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...
, which includes a
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
for
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and a
ballpark
A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
for
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 ...
. Opened in 1947, it has been the home field of the
Everett AquaSox
The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity o ...
, a
Minor League Baseball team in the
High-A West
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...
, and its predecessor, the Everett Giants, since 1984. In 2019, the ballpark became known as Funko Field. The football stadium has been home to the
Everett Reign, a
women's football team, since 2013. The complex is owned by the
Everett School District
Everett Public Schools, officially Everett School District No. 2, is the main public school district for the city of Everett, Washington. In addition to covering most of Everett, the district also serves the city of Mill Creek along with some u ...
, whose schools use both stadiums for their athletic programs. It is also home to the Puget Sound Festival of Bands, an annual
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
competition. The facility was remodeled in 1998 to have a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 3,682 people for baseball and 12,000 for football.
History
The stadium sits on land donated by the Everett Lodge of Elks 479 to the
Everett School District
Everett Public Schools, officially Everett School District No. 2, is the main public school district for the city of Everett, Washington. In addition to covering most of Everett, the district also serves the city of Mill Creek along with some u ...
in 1947, dedicated in memory of Everett citizens who died during military service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
The first professional team to play at the stadium was the
Everett Giants
The Everett Giants were a minor league baseball team based in Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The Giants were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League from 1984 through 1994 and were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
H ...
, playing in the
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
of
Class A baseball. The first Giants game held at the stadium was played against the
Bellingham Mariners
The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate from 1977 to 1994.
History
Major League B ...
in front of a crowd of 3,527 on June 19, 1984. As the stadium itself dates to 1947, it is one of the oldest active ballparks in
Minor League Baseball.
On June 17, 1987, with 3,122 fans watching,
Ken Griffey Jr., playing for the Bellingham Mariners, hit his first professional
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
over the left field wall, with the ball landing in the street approximately from
home plate
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
. A plaque on the sidewalk marks the site just outside the left field wall.
The baseball stadium underwent extensive renovations in 1998, at a cost of $5 million. The upgrade increased capacity by 1,400 seats to the present 3,682 and added a larger concession area and new lighting. The renovation was funded by a motel-hotel tax approved by the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...
in 1994.
On October 17, 2017, citing the poor condition of the field's natural grass surface when the stadium was used by the
Everett High School and
Everett Community College
Everett Community College (EvCC) is a public community college in Everett, Washington. EvCC educates more than 19,000 students every year at locations throughout Snohomish County, Washington, with most students and faculty at the main campus in E ...
baseball teams, which rendered the field near-unusable for games played by both schools, the natural grass field was switched to an artificial surface. Work began on October 31, 2017, and was completed in April 2018. At the time of the switch, it was one of three ballparks in the Northwest League to have an
artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...
field. The
Eugene Emeralds
The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their ...
'
PK Park
PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the No ...
and the
Hillsboro Hops
The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Ariz ...
'
Ron Tonkin Field
Ron Tonkin Field, originally Hillsboro Ballpark, is a baseball Baseball park, park in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland, Oregon, Portland. The stadium has a capacity of 4,500 ...
were the others.
On March 19, 2019, the Everett School Board approved a $1.1 million, eight-year sponsorship agreement with local toymaker
Funko
Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories ...
to brand the baseball field as Funko Field at Everett Memorial Stadium.
The stadium's parking lot was home to a temporary
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
testing center during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The testing center, operated by the
Snohomish Health District, opened on March 23 and closed on April 16 after processing 2,500 people.
The track stadium was renovated in 2022 and reopened with a new surface and track. The county and city government approved the development of a feasibility study that would investigate whether a new multipurpose stadium could be built in Everett to replace Funko Field. The study was spurred by updated Minor League Baseball standards and the AquaSox moving to High-A with more games.
References
External links
Everett AquaSox websiteEverett Reign
{{Coord, 47.967, -122.203, display=title
Buildings and structures in Everett, Washington
Minor league baseball venues
Soccer venues in Washington (state)
Sports in Everett, Washington
Sports venues in Washington (state)
Education in Everett, Washington
Tourist attractions in Everett, Washington
Northwest League ballparks