ShoreTown Ballpark 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 ...

Lakewood, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45.5% ...

. 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 ...

and is the home field of the

Jersey Shore BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locati ...

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

baseball team, affiliated with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

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 (AL), ...

team. It is also used for outdoor concerts, featuring touring musical artists such as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. It was built in 2001 and has 6,588 fixed seats with extended additional space on grass berms and at picnic tables around the 360-degree concourse.

History

The stadium opened as GPU Energy Park, named for the former General Public Utilities, Inc. After GPU merged into

FirstEnergy Corporation FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison acquired Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electri ...

in 2001, the stadium took the new corporate name in 2002. The team attendance record is 13,003, set on August 26, 2002. FirstEnergy Park had 13 crowds over 9,000 and 81 crowds over 8,000 in its first eight years of play. The stadium was featured in ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

s 2009 ''Great Parks'' calendar. It was the second time that the home of the BlueClaws was highlighted in the calendar. FirstEnergy Park has hosted the South Atlantic League All-Star Game twice, in 2002 and in 2013. The 2002 attendance of 8,571 was a record for the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. In 2022, the BlueClaws changed the stadium's name from FirstEnergy Park to ShoreTown Ballpark.

Features

The ballpark features two general admission, grass seating areas, one in left field and another in right, 16 luxury suites, two party decks, the Monmouth Medical Center Champions Club, two picnic areas, and a full video board, with a 1,587 square foot high-definition display. The stadium also features the nine-hole Manasquan Bank Mini Golf Course which opened in 2018. Open during all home games, the course features holes named after former BlueClaws players. In centerfield, FirstEnergy Park also includes the Toyota World of Lakewood Boardwalk area. This space features many traditional boardwalk games such as a Ring Toss, Goblet Toss, Balloon Darts, and Cat Rack. In 2022, the BlueClaws announced the addition of a new hospitality space for patrons to enjoy during games at the stadium - The Blue Wave Bar.

References

External links

Jersey Shore BlueClaws: ShoreTown BallparkParks: Township of Lakewood, NJ
{{Authority control Baseball venues in New Jersey Sports venues in New Jersey Minor league baseball venues Lakewood Township, New Jersey Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area Buildings and structures in Ocean County, New Jersey 2001 establishments in New Jersey Sports venues completed in 2001 FirstEnergy South Atlantic League ballparks