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Posted on Mon, Jul. 11, 2011
Florida Marlins close upper deck at Sun Life Stadium for rest of season
By Clark Spencer
cspencer@MiamiHerald.com
Marlins fans can forget about nosebleeds the rest of the season. The club is closing the upper deck to spectators at Sun Life Stadium.
Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello said team officials decided it made little sense to staff the upper deck with ushers and security personnel for a section that attracted so few fans.
“It was an operational decision,” Loyello said. “We don’t sell a whole lot of upper deck seats.”
As a result, Loyello said, season-ticket holders with upper-deck seats will be “upgraded” at no additional cost to infield box seats, ones much closer to the field, for the 31 remaining home games.
And the team will no longer sell upper-deck seats to the public on Fridays and Saturdays. The upper deck was closed the other five days of the week.
The Marlins will open the upper deck for Bark in the Park night Aug. 12, and Loyello said the team might make an exception for the season finale — the final game ever for the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium — when they face the Washington Nationals on Sept. 28.
The Marlins are moving into their new Little Havana ballpark next season.
The Marlins rank last in attendance among the 30 major-league teams, averaging just more than 18,000 per game in paid attendance. But they play in the largest facility in terms of available capacity.
Moving fans from the upper deck to seats below will create a better visual effect, Loyello said.
“To get more people in the lower bowl makes for a better atmosphere,” Loyello said. “It looks better, and it’s better ambience.”
Loyello said the decision had nothing to do with safety concerns stemming from the recent tragedy in Texas, where a fan lost his balance, tumbled over a railing and fell to his death.
“This was something that was discussed internally about a month ago,” he said.
Florida Marlins close upper deck at Sun Life Stadium for rest of season
By Clark Spencer
cspencer@MiamiHerald.com
Marlins fans can forget about nosebleeds the rest of the season. The club is closing the upper deck to spectators at Sun Life Stadium.
Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello said team officials decided it made little sense to staff the upper deck with ushers and security personnel for a section that attracted so few fans.
“It was an operational decision,” Loyello said. “We don’t sell a whole lot of upper deck seats.”
As a result, Loyello said, season-ticket holders with upper-deck seats will be “upgraded” at no additional cost to infield box seats, ones much closer to the field, for the 31 remaining home games.
And the team will no longer sell upper-deck seats to the public on Fridays and Saturdays. The upper deck was closed the other five days of the week.
The Marlins will open the upper deck for Bark in the Park night Aug. 12, and Loyello said the team might make an exception for the season finale — the final game ever for the Marlins at Sun Life Stadium — when they face the Washington Nationals on Sept. 28.
The Marlins are moving into their new Little Havana ballpark next season.
The Marlins rank last in attendance among the 30 major-league teams, averaging just more than 18,000 per game in paid attendance. But they play in the largest facility in terms of available capacity.
Moving fans from the upper deck to seats below will create a better visual effect, Loyello said.
“To get more people in the lower bowl makes for a better atmosphere,” Loyello said. “It looks better, and it’s better ambience.”
Loyello said the decision had nothing to do with safety concerns stemming from the recent tragedy in Texas, where a fan lost his balance, tumbled over a railing and fell to his death.
“This was something that was discussed internally about a month ago,” he said.
Makes sense with the way Saturday crowds have been this year. Marlins got really bad weekend opponents this year (or the novelty of Super Saturdays is wearing out). Lower bowl holds ~27,000.