Holloway Field
 Holloway Field shortly after installation of lights | |
| Former names | Spencer Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Spencer Park, Market Street, Newmarket, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°26′19″S 153°0′40″E / 27.43861°S 153.01111°ECoordinates: 27°26′19″S 153°0′40″E / 27.43861°S 153.01111°E |
| Owner | Queensland Government |
| Capacity | 800 seated |
| Field size |
Left Field - 324 feet (99 m) Center Field - 358 feet (109 m) Right Field - 335 feet (102 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 10 May 1964 |
| Renovated | 1982, 1984 |
| Expanded | 1986 |
| Tenants | |
|
Windsor Royals Netherlands National Baseball Team Claxton Shield Brisbane Bandits | |
Holloway Field is home to the Windsor Royals baseball club in Newmarket, Queensland, Australia. It is regarded as the home of baseball in Brisbane.
Background
After the formation of the Windsor Royals in 1955, the club looked for a permanent site to play baseball. Originally, Crosby Park in Albion was planned to be the new ground for the Royals, but was rejected by the Brisbane City Council. In 1964, the club was approved to break ground for a stadium at Spencer Park in Newmarket. On 10 May 1964, the ground was officially named Holloway Field after the Windsor foundation and life member, Stan Holloway. It was expanded and renovated in 1986 and is expected to be refurbished in the near future to accommodate the Brisbane-based team in the newly formed Australian Baseball League starting in 2010.
The field itself is a fully fenced and regulation size field with covered sunken dugouts, two bullpens, two battery cages, two officials' boxes, a scorers' box and seating for 1500. Floodlighting was added on 24 September 1982 and a sprinkler system two years later. It is currently the training camp of the Netherlands national baseball team and has hosted a variety of international baseball matches, including the World Master Games. It is the home ground of the Queensland Rams for Claxton Shield games and the newly formed Australian Baseball League.[1]
With the arrival of the Brisbane Bandits for the 2013-14 season also came upgrades to the ballpark. A new brick backstop, new backstop netting, seating added to the tiered grandstands as well as a refurbished infield. A progressive replacement plan for the lighting towers was implemented to bring Holloway Field up to the highest standard for night games. After the completion of the Major League Baseball Opening Series at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2014, the foul poles that were fabricated for the event were relocated to Brisbane and erected at Holloway Field prior to the 2014–15 Australian Baseball League season.
References
- ↑ Harris, J.O (2009). Queensland Baseball 1905-1990. p357