Marinelli Field

Marinelli Field is 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 ...

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

located in Blackhawk Park and is overseen by the

Rockford Park District The Rockford Park District was formed in 1909 and is governed by an elected five-member board of commissioners who serve six-year terms without compensation. It is the third largest municipal park system in Illinois, serving the communities of Roc ...

. It is primarily used 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 ...

. The ball field is in the north end of Blackhawk Park and is bounded by 15th Avenue (north, right field); Nelson Boulevard and the Rock River (west, left field); commercial businesses to the east; and the rest of the city park to the south and southeast. It sits just a few blocks west of

Beyer Stadium The Beyer Stadium, one mile from downtown in Rockford, Illinois, was the home of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's Rockford Peaches from 1943 to 1954. It was a multi-purpose facility, as contemporary newspaper articles also ...

, which is also on 15th. The field has served as the stadium for two minor league franchises: *

Rockford RiverHawks The Rockford Aviators were a professional baseball team based in Rockford, Illinois that played in the independent Frontier League. Rockford previously had a team in the Frontier League called the RiverHawks (2002-2009). There was no Rockford tea ...

(2002–2005) * Rockford Reds (1999) * Rockford Cubbies (1995–1998) * Rockford Royals (1993–1994) * Rockford Expos (1988–1992) In addition, it is the current home of the amateur

Rockford Foresters The Rockford Foresters were a collegiate summer baseball team based in Rockford, Illinois. The team began play at Marinelli Field in downtown Rockford, Illinois, Rockford in 2010. The team was a member of the Northern League (collegiate summer ba ...

, a summer collegiate-league team. The Rockford Expos, a farm team of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, The Rockford Royals, a farm team of the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, the Rockford Cubbies, a farm team of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

and the Rockford Reds, a farm team of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

all preceded the organization's move to Dayton, Ohio to become the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In 2 ...

(2000–present) WTVO-TV an ABC affiliate in Rockford, Illinois reported on Tuesday, September 16 that a group of Chicago area investors were looking to bring a Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) team to Rockford, which would play at Marinelli Field beginning in the summer of 2010. The group of Chicago area investors is known as Three Strikes Baseball Corp. In November 2009, the CICL announced that it would merge with a new summer collegiate league and form the new 11-team

Prospect League The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their colleg ...

. The

will return to play at Marinelli Field for the summer of 2012. The Foresters announced its team colors and logo on January 13, 2010. Minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in Illinois Buildings and structures in Rockford, Illinois Sports venues in Rockford, Illinois Tourist attractions in Rockford, Illinois Defunct Midwest League ballparks {{Illinois-baseball-venue-stub