The Gwinnett Stripers had an increase in annual attendance this year for the first time since 2011. But the team is still falling short of numbers predicted when county officials agreed to finance the $64 million minor league baseball stadium.
More than 212,000 fans saw a Stripers game at Coolray Field in 2019, an increase of more than 16,000 — about 8% — from 2018, the first year under the Stripers name. The team was called the Gwinnett Braves from their 2009 arrival in Lawrenceville until the end of 2017, when management announced it was time for a change.
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That increase will not affect how much money the team sends to the county to pay for its stadium. Coolray Field (then Gwinnett Stadium) was built in 2008. Gwinnett County footed the $64 million bill, borrowing $33 million and paying $31 million in cash. The county is expected to continue paying off the stadium through 2038, and the team is required to contribute $400,000 per year or $1 per ticket sold, whichever is higher. A 2009 feasibility study projected an annual attendance of 468,000.
The team filled an average of 3,169 seats per game this year, the highest since 2016. The team’s first season — in 2009, as the Gwinnett Braves — had the highest average per-game attendance, with 5,966. That average declined each year from 2013 to 2018.
Credit: AJC Staff
Credit: AJC Staff
Weekend games were busier on average in 2019, with 4,137 people showing up for a typical Friday, Saturday or Sunday game. The stadium’s fullest day was an Aug. 17 game that featured appearances by popular children’s TV characters Peppa Pig and George, with 9,001 people in attendance. Coolray Field seats 10,427 people.
That top-attendance game is an example of how the Stripers and the Braves can succeed alongside each other, Stripers General Manager Adam English said. While thousands of families showed up to Coolray Field for some baseball and an encounter with the cartoon characters, the Braves were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers in a sold-out SunTrust Park.
“It proves that with the right ideas we can both be successful,” English said.
The Stripers’ proximity to the Braves presents a situation none of its peers in the Triple-A International League face. While minor league teams are the only professional baseball in Syracuse, Charlotte and Buffalo, most metro Atlanta fans can choose between two teams. Team officials previously expressed hope the name change would reduce the confusion that came with two Braves teams within 40 miles of each other.
Recurring promotions, like fireworks every Friday, and affordable concessions were also well-received by fans, English said. It also doesn’t hurt that fans can get an up-close look at soon-to-be Braves stars like Austin Riley, who spent time as a Striper in 2019.
“We are continuing to do innovative things at the ballpark to make our experience the best in Minor League Baseball,” English said. “I’m really excited about the future of baseball in Gwinnett.”
Average attendance per game
2019: 3,169
2018: 3,062
2017: 3,135
2016: 3,218
2015: 3,808
2014: 4,281
2013: 4,762
2012: 4,680
2011: 5,095
2010: 4,818
2009: 5,966
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