 | |
 Interactive map of Campbell's Field | |
| Address | 401 North Delaware Avenue Camden,New Jersey, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°57′01″N75°07′42″W / 39.950245°N 75.128306°W /39.950245; -75.128306 |
| Owner | Camden County Improvement Authority[1] |
| Operator | Rutgers University–Camden |
| Capacity | 6,700 |
| Field size | Left field: 325 ft (99 m) Center field: 405 ft (123 m) Right field: 325 ft (99 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 15, 1999 |
| Opened | May 11, 2001 (2001-05-11) |
| Demolished | December 2018[2] |
| Years active | 2001–2018 |
| Construction cost | $25 million |
| Architect | Clarke Caton Hintz |
| Tenants | |
| Camden Riversharks (ALPB) 2001–2015 Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors (NCAA) 2001–2018 Saint Joseph's Hawks (NCAA) 2009–2011 Temple Owls (NCAA) 2014 | |
Campbell's Field was a 6,425-seatbaseball park inCamden, New Jersey, United States that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 11, 2001. The ballpark was home to theRutgers–Camden college baseball team, and until 2015 was home to theCamden Riversharks of the independentAtlantic League of Professional Baseball. The naming rights were owned by the Camden-basedCampbell Soup Company, which paid $3 million over ten years. Stadium demolition started in mid-December 2018.
The park, located at Delaware and Penn Avenues on theCamden Waterfront, featured a commanding view of theBenjamin Franklin Bridge connecting Camden withPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania across theDelaware River. Views of thePhiladelphia skyline could be seen from the right-field grandstand and via "Campbell's Field Cam", a stationary weather camera broadcast onKYW-TV.
Ground was broken for the ballpark on June 15, 1999, with formerNew Jersey governorChristine Todd Whitman in attendance. Campbell's Field was funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, a loan from theDelaware River Port Authority, a grant fromRutgers University, and private financing obtained by the builder, Quaker Construction. During construction, the stadium was owned by the Cooper's Ferry Development Association. Upon completion, it became the property of Rutgers, which signed a lease with Camden Baseball, LLC to operate the stadium in conjunction with the Atlantic League.[3]
The new ballpark involved a $24 million construction project that included $7 million forenvironmental remediation costs. Prior to construction, Campbell's Field was a vacant, undeveloped parcel of land that historically housed businesses that included the Campbell Soup Company Plant No. 2, Pennsylvania & Reading Rail Road's Linden Street Freight Station, David Baird & Company's lumber mill and Eavenson & Sons’ soap manufacturing company.[4]
Campbell's Field opened in May 2001, and was one of the projects designed to spark urban renewal in Camden. The ballpark was honored in 2003 byDigitalBallparks.com and in 2004 byBaseball America as the "Ballpark of the Year." Campbell's Field was honored with several local awards, including the Camden County Improvement Authority Entertainment Award in 2000, the International Masonry Institute Golden Trowel Award in 2001, the Urban Land Institute's Award for Excellence in 2002, the Downtown New Jersey Excellence Award, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association Good Neighbor Award, and the Distinguished Award for Engineering Excellence given by the Consulting Engineers Council of New Jersey in 2003.[5]
In April 2009, Campbell Soup announced that it would continue to have its name on the ballpark at least through 2020.[6]
In 2011 Campbell's Field is where theUnited States national rugby league team achieved victory in the Atlantic pool of2013 Rugby League World Cup qualifying, booking the nation's first everRugby League World Cup appearance.[7]
The stadium's financing totaled $35 million in loans and bonds from banks and various state and county public agencies, including theNew Jersey Economic Development Authority (which issued a $7 million bond), theDelaware River Port Authority (a $6.5 million loan) andRutgers University ($2 million). Threatened with foreclosure in 2015 amid millions of dollars in outstanding rental fees, the Camden County Improvement Authority (CCIA) acquired the property for $3.5 million and came to agreement on a 15-year deal with the team to repay the money through ticket surcharges, though the demise of the Riversharks later that year meant that only one payment was made towards that surcharge. While the stadium incurred annual debt service payments of $300,000, the facility brought in $100,000 in annual revenue, mostly from Rutgers University for rental fees for theRutgers University–Camden Scarlet Raptors baseball team to use the stadium as its home field.[8][9]
In October 2015, after failing to reach an agreement with CCIA on the revised terms of a lease agreement, the stadium's primary professional tenant, the Camden Riversharks, ceased operations.[10]
In September 2018, a contractor was awarded the $1.1 million task of demolishing the stadium.[11] Stadium demolition started in mid-December 2018. The site was to be redeveloped by spring 2020 as a new athletic complex to include a home for Rutgers–Camden baseball.[2][12] Demolition and surface preparation for the new complex was funded by the city of Camden and Rutgers University.[11] The $16 million athletic complex, called Camden Athletic Fields, officially opened on May 2, 2022.[13]
From its opening in 2001 through 2018, Campbell's Field hosted home games for theRutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors baseball team.
On July 14, 2004, Campbell's Field hosted the Atlantic League All-Star Game.[14] In that 2004 All-Star Game, the North Division beat the South Division, 10–8.[15] Kevin Baez of the Long Island Ducks won the All-Star Game MVP.[15] Attendance was 6,234.[15] Campbell's Field once again played host to the Atlantic League All-Star Game in 2012, when the Freedom Division beat the Liberty Division, 9–5.[15] Fehlandt Lentini of the Lancaster Barnstormers won the All-Star Game MVP.[15] Attendance was 7,619.[15]
The ballpark also hosted the 2008Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament,[16] in which theUniversity of North Carolina-Charlotte defeatedXavier University in the championship game to win the tournament.[17] The field also hosted the tournament in 2010 and 2011, withSaint Louis winning in 2010 andCharlotte in 2011.[18] The St. Joseph's University baseball team played six games at Campbell's Field in 2009 and its entire home schedule in 2010. The Saint Joseph's baseball program made the park its full-time home until the completion of its on-campus facility in 2012.[19]
Temple University played all but one of their conference games at Campbell's Field for the 2014 season, which would be their last season.[20]
As part of its naming rights contract, the concessions at Campbell's Field featured several Campbell's Soup Company products such asV8 beverages,Pace salsa, andPepperidge Farm rolls and snacks.[21] A traditional ballpark menu was also available, with hot dogs produced by the Philadelphia-basedDietz & Watson Inc. Additional options were available at the Picnic Pavilion, that included items from a local barbecue restaurant called Fat Jack's BBQ. TheFlying Fish Brewing Company, based in nearbyCherry Hill, sold beer in the pub area.[22]
The Fun Zone was a children's playground. It was hosted by the Riversharks mascot,Finley, and included a carousel and inflatables.
Campbell's Field offered multiple seating options for its patrons. The Diamond Café included a gourmet buffet, with a waiting service, and views of the Philadelphia skyline and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The Skyline & Bridge Suites, private rooms available for conferences or meetings, also offered skyline views and catering.
In 2011, Campbell's Field hosted theAtlantic Qualifiers tournament for the2013 Rugby League World Cup. The competition ran from October 15 to 23 and was contested by theUnited States,South Africa, andJamaica.[23] The United States won the tournament to gain a spot in the World Cup for the first time in its history.[24]
On June 16, 2005,Bob Dylan performed at the stadium during his2005 North American Tour.
On June 5, 2009, Campbell's Field hosted the popularhip-hop artistsT-Pain &Flo Rida.[25]
While Norcross has said $35 million was spent on the stadium, public records show about $21 million was spent through a combination of direct loans and bonds floated through a private bank. The state Economic Development Authority issued a $7 million bond through Santander Bank, which was known then as Sovereign Bank, along with a direct loan of $2 million. That was added to $6.5 million loan from the Delaware River Port Authority, $2 million from Rutgers and $3.7 million in equity financing.
The Camden County Improvement Authority has agreed to buy Campbell's Field, the Waterfront stadium that's home to the Camden Riversharks. The pending $3.5 million purchase is intended to resolve a lawsuit filed in 2013 by Santander Bank N.A., chief financier of the 6,700-seat ballpark in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge.
After 15 years, the Camden Riversharks will shut down operations at Campbell's Field - effective immediately - the club announced on Wednesday. The decision came due to the inability to reach an agreement on lease terms with the ballpark's owner, the Camden County Improvement Authority.
| Subsidiaries |  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brands |
| ||||
| People | |||||
| Related | |||||
| Academics |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | ||
| Campus | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||
