U.S. Cellular Community Park
|
North entrance | |
| Location |
2929 South Pacific Highway |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°18′04″N 122°50′38″W / 42.301°N 122.844°WCoordinates: 42°18′04″N 122°50′38″W / 42.301°N 122.844°W |
| Owner | Gary Miller |
| Operator | Medford Parks and Recreation |
| Capacity | Varies |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Opened | 2007, 9 years ago |
| Tenants | |
| Southern Oregon Fuego (NPSL) | |
Community Park
U.S. Cellular Community Park is an athletic facility in the western United States, located in Medford, Oregon. The Park is on South Pacific Highway, visible from Interstate 5 at around milepost 26. It features five baseball fields (which includes a professional-sized and two youth fields), four softball fields, two sports fields, and a professional-sized championship soccer field, the home venue of the Southern Oregon Fuego of the National Premier Soccer League.
The elevation of the park is approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) above sea level.
Facilities
Harry & David Field
Harry & David Field hosts youth and high school baseball, the American Legion Medford Mustangs, and the Medford Rogues, an independent collegiate wood bat team. It is named for the Harry & David Corporation, whose world headquarters are located just south of the ballpark's location. It was the brainchild of local businessman Gary Miller.
The ballpark opened in in 2005 and is off-limits to professional teams who plan on picking Medford to set up shop under an agreement reached between the stadium and the city. It is only being used for amateur baseball and other community events under the agreement.[1]
From 2012 to 2013, the stadium underwent a major renovation and expansion to accommodate the new Gogues of the West Coast League. Though the field is adjacent to U.S. Cellular Community Park, it is not owned by the city, but is its own separate entity.
It replaced Miles Field, the home of minor league baseball in the city starting in 1979, when the Bend Timber Hawks of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League became the Medford A's. After 21 seasons and two name changes, the Southern Oregon Timberjacks moved to British Columbia in October 1999 and became the Vancouver Canadians.[2] Miles Field was demolished 12 years ago in 2004 and is now the site of a Wal-Mart store.[3] The light towers, scoreboard, and foul poles from Miles Field were transferred to the new park.[1]
Charter Field
Charter Field is a professional-sized all-weather artificial turf baseball field used for only high school and youth baseball games. It is the main field for Cascade Christian High School Challenger baseball (who won the 2012 OSAA State 3A Championship) and occasion site for St. Mary's School Crusader baseball if their home field is unplayable. The naming rights to the field currently belong to Charter Cable.
Radio Medford Field (Field #1)
On December 19, 2011, number one softball diamond, one of five softball field at the US Cellular Community Park complex was renamed Radio Medford Field per an agreement between Mapleton Communications of Medford and the complex good for five years and $175,000 [4]
Football/Soccer Field
The USCCP Soccer field is a championship-sized field that plays host to the NPSL's Southern Oregon Fuego. It has also played host to high school and youth football and soccer games. The high school athletic programs who use the facilities for events include Cascade Christian High School football and soccer and St. Mary's School soccer. It is also the main home for the Rogue Valley Timbers Soccer Club, a youth soccer program that is part of the Portland Timbers (MLS) Alliance.
Other venues and events with similar names
U.S. Cellular, a wireless telephone company, has sponsored several sports venues in the United States:
- U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, home of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox
- U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Illinois, home of the Premier Basketball League's Bloomington Flex
- U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, former home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks
and the original Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League - U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, home of the Indoor Football League's Cedar Rapids Titans
- U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, North Carolina
U.S. Cellular serves as the title sponsor of a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the U.S. Cellular 250, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. It has also served as the presenting sponsor of the 80/35 Music Festival in Des Moines, Iowa, since its inception in 2008.[5]
References
- 1 2 "Baseball Notes". Medford Mail Tribune (Oregon). July 4, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Timberjacks will make move to Vancover, B.C.". Eugene Register-Guard (Oregon). Associated Press. October 27, 1999. p. 6F.
- ↑ Achen, Paris (July 19, 2008). "Medford site plan panel approves Wal-Mart store again". Medford Mail Tribune (Oregon). Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ↑ MPRD, Radio Medford Ink Sports Park Naming-Rights Pact, Quinnan Kirkland, Resource Dev. Coord., US Cellular Park at Sports Medford site, December 19, 2011
- ↑ – 80/35 music festival