ShoreTown Ballpark

ShoreTown Ballpark
	ShoreTown Ballpark Location within New Jersey ShoreTown Ballpark ShoreTown Ballpark (the United States)
Former names	FirstEnergy Park (2002–21) ; GPU Energy Park (2001)
Address	2 Stadium Way; Lakewood, NJ 08701
Coordinates	40°04′30″N 74°11′13″W / 40.0751°N 74.1870°W
Owner	Shore Town Baseball
Capacity	6,588 reserve seats plus additional space on berms
Field size	Left: 325 ft (99 m); Center: 400 ft (120 m); Right: 325 ft (99 m)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	April 17, 2000
Opened	April 6, 2001
Construction cost	$20 million; ($33.1 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	HNTB
Project manager	Hill International
Services engineer	Henderson Engineers, Inc.
General contractor	Epic Group, Inc.
Tenants
	Jersey Shore BlueClaws (SAL/High-A East) 2001–present

ShoreTown Ballpark^[1]^[9] is a stadium in Lakewood, New Jersey. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws South Atlantic League baseball team, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. It is also used for outdoor concerts, featuring touring musical artists such as Bob Dylan. 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 in 2001, the stadium took the new corporate name in 2002.^[10]

The team attendance record is 13,003, set on August 26, 2002.^[11] FirstEnergy Park had 13 crowds over 9,000 and 81 crowds over 8,000 in its first eight years of play.^{[citation needed]}

The stadium was featured in Baseball America's 2009 Great Parks calendar.^[12] It was the second time that the home of the BlueClaws was highlighted in the calendar.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[13]

In 2022, the BlueClaws changed the stadium's name from FirstEnergy Park to ShoreTown Ballpark.^[1]

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.^[14]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[15]