Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a

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 t ...

field in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa, Florida, Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,6 ...

. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

home of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and

Gulf Coast Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home gam ...

. On March 15, 2011, the largest crowd in the stadium's history (10,307 people) watched a spring training game between the

and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Expansions

The stadium could seat 4,900 people when it opened in 1966. In 1988, a bleacher section was added down the left field line, increasing seating capacity to 7,027. In 2002, Joker Marchant Stadium was renovated. The State of Florida's $4.5 million grant was the biggest chunk of the financing, while the Polk County Tourist Development Council chipped in $2 million. The remainder of the renovation's cost was paid for by the Tigers and City of Lakeland, increasing capacity to its present 8,500. In October 2014, the Lakeland City Commission announced part of a new agreement with the Detroit Tigers included the start of a $37 million renovation and upgrade of the 50-year-old stadium, starting in April 2016 after

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

. Funding provided in part by the Detroit Tigers, the City of Lakeland and Polk County. Two construction firms -- Barton Malow of Southfield,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, and Rodda Construction of Lakeland -- were chosen by the City Commission to oversee the project. The Lakeland Flying Tigers -- the Detroit Tigers' High Class 'A' Minor League club at the time -- played their

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 followi ...

season at

Henley Field Henley Field is a historic site in Lakeland, Florida. Built in 1922, it is located at 1125 North Florida Avenue. Clare Henley, for whom the park was named in 1942, encouraged its construction in an effort to persuade a professional baseball te ...

, away.

Naming rights

Under a 20-year deal that ends in 2036, the stadium was renamed Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on the first day of MLB's 2017 Spring Training. The Publix supermarket chain is headquartered in Lakeland and their hometown field is the only sports complex for which they have purchased naming rights.

Gallery

File:JokerMarchantLakelandFlorida.jpg, Intersection of Kaline and Horton Way File:JokerMarchantStadium2009.jpg, Detroit Tigers spring training game 2009 File:JokerMarchant behind home plate.jpg, View from behind home plate

References

External links

Stadium information
at Detroit Tigers website

{{GCL Ballparks Detroit Tigers spring training venues Sports venues in Lakeland, Florida Minor league baseball venues Grapefruit League venues 1966 establishments in Florida Sports venues completed in 1966 Florida Complex League ballparks Florida State League ballparks