Review from August 5, 2017
Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Kannapolis Intimidators
15 Innings!
By: Matthew Preslar

​Our trip to FNB Field was a great experience. The beautiful brick facility looked well above class on the walk up. Upon entering the gate, we immediately stopped at the team store. My wife and I both purchased the traditional home green hats and also came away with a refrigerator magnet that makes the Grasshoppers forever a part of our home. Immediately thereafter, we walked out of the team store to a beer stand by Greensboro local Natty Greene's Brewery. With our fresh green lids and local draft, we then enjoyed a BBQ plate as the game started.

Another topic of conversation was telling my wife about Greensboro manager, Todd Pratt. Pratt was primarily known as Mike Piazza's backup during the Mets good years in the early 2000s in which Pratt even hit a walk off homer to clinch a division series.

Over the course of the game, we sat in several different seats and standing areas and could appreciate every view of the park. The $9 all you can drink soda came in very handy as the game went 15 innings and about four and a half hours. After inning 12, I felt sure my wife would want to leave. I loved her even more when she said we were staying to the end and seeing those fireworks. The fireworks display alone was worth the price of admission — let alone a great game that provided us that much entertainment. I look very forward to going back and seeing the view of the stadium as construction completes in the next several years.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK FIELD
Greensboro, North Carolina

HOME OF THE:
GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

MLB AFFILIATE:
PITTSBURGH PIRATES

BUILT: 2005
CAPACITY: 7,449
LEAGUE: HIGH-A EAST

RELATED POSTS

OUR RATING: 
48 / 50

TICKET VALUE  9/10

  • $10 for most tickets, $11 behind plate
  • $7 lawn seats
  • For lower seats, nets extend down most of the field affecting view

CONCESSIONS  10/10

  • Great North Carolina BBQ options
  • $9 all you can drink soda
  • Great local beer choices

FAMILY FRIENDLINESS  6/5

  • Park included play area in right field
  • Team had a dog act as a bat boy, surely to draw children's attention
  • Team employees worked hard to engage crowd between innings, especially the later the game went
  • ​The most spectacular fireworks display I have ever seen that close — fireworks were shot off from Center field (which for the grounds crew, meant a lot of cleanup!)​

ATMOSPHERE  10/10

  • Greeted quickly by a friendly vendor selling local Natty Greene's beer
  • Very packed crowd for a Saturday night game, which shows in the pictures!
  • Town seemed supportive in numbers and enthusiasm
  • Crowd involvement prompted over the PA system ("everybody clap your hands" probably played 50+ times that night...)
  • Grasshoppers theme promoted throughout the stadium — from table tops to inflatable jerseys
  • Team store packed with fun, branded merchandise — including refrigerator magnets, which make a great keepsake when you return home

CHARACTER  8/10

  • Beautiful stadium built in 2005, hosted multiple ACC baseball tournaments
  • Home uniforms very reminiscent of retro Oakland A's white uniforms, while teams alternate uniforms have a lot of bright orange reminiscent of parent club, Miami Marlins.
  • Not many references to past Greensboro players or Marlins franchise.
  • Ongoing construction behind right field. When completed this space will accent the park, helping it feel more like a big city ballpark, and very high stature for SINGLE A — similar to Charlotte and Gwinnett.

PARKING  5/5

  • $3 parking fee — parking lots just steps from the stadium entrance and along side streets
  • Large, secure lots

TICKET VALUE
(10 points)

• Ticket Prices
​• View from Seat

​CONCESSIONS
​(10 points)

• Variety, Quality & Price of Food
• Variety of Drinks / Souvenir Cups
• Length of Lines at Concession Stands

​FAMILY FRIENDLINESS
​(5 points)

• Play Areas
• In-Between Inning Activities & Contests
• ​Mascot
• Family Bathrooms

​ATMOSPHERE
​(10 points)

• Local Experience
• Sound-Effects & Music
• Programs
• ​Restrooms

​CHARACTER
​(10 points)

• Home Team Uniforms & Colors
• Architecture of Stadium
• History of Stadium
​• Tributes to MLB Affiliate / Local Players
• Location of Stadium & Surrounding Scenery

​PARKING
(5 points)

• Price for Parking
• ​Size, Quality & Location of Lot