Arvest Ballpark
Central Arkansas is home to a minor league baseball team called the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and despite the distance between them, they’re a farm team for the Kansas City Royals. If you’re a baseball fan but would rather not pay $9 for a beer and $8 for a hot dog like you would at major league games, the Arvest Ballpark is a great place to see an exciting game full of talented athletes without breaking the bank. The season includes more than 130 games and lasts from early April into the long Labor Day weekend. The park is located on south 56th Street in Lowell. Arvest Ballpark is a stadium in Springdale, Arkansas. It is primarily used for baseball, as the home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Texas League. The ballpark has a capacity of 7,305 people and opened in 2008. Arvest Ballpark was designed by the Kansas City architecture firm Populous. Arvest Ballpark was named the 2008 Ballpark of the year by baseballparks.com
Springdale’s Mayor Jerre M. Van Hoose and the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Perry Webb, knew what it would take to bring the affiliated Minor Leagues to the area. Not only would they have to find a team willing to move, they would also need to provide them with a better facility than what they would be leaving behind. A referendum was held on July 11, 2006, where local voters approved by a narrow margin the continuation of a 1% sales tax to fund the ballpark. Ground for the ballpark was broken on February 27, 2007. Construction was performed by Crossland Construction and completed in April 2008. On September 10, 2007, a naming rights deal was reach with Arvest Bank Group, Inc. of nearby Bentonville, and the new ballpark’s official name was introduced as Arvest Ballpark on October 5, 2007. The first game played at Arvest Ballpark was the 2008 opening day game between the Naturals and the San Antonio Missions on April 10, 2008. The Naturals lost 7-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,820.
Home field for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a minor league baseball team based in Springdale. A member of the Texas League the Naturals are the Double-A affiliate for the Kansas City Royals. Their season consists of 140 game schedule with 70 home games and 70 road games and is five months long, beginning in early April and finishing Labor Day weekend. Special event game times will occur at various times throughout the season.