 | |
| Location | 2502 South Tyler Street Tacoma, Washington United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°14′16.92″N122°29′51.16″W / 47.2380333°N 122.4975444°W /47.2380333; -122.4975444 |
| Owner | Pierce County |
| Operator | Schlegel Sports Group |
| Executive suites | 16[1] |
| Capacity | 6,500[2] |
| Field size | Left field: 325 ft (99 m) Center field: 425 ft (130 m) Right field: 325 ft (99 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 2, 1960[3] |
| Built | 1960 |
| Opened | April 16, 1960[4] |
| Renovated | 1992, 1998, 1999, 2011[1] |
| Construction cost | $940,000[5] ($9.99 million in 2024 dollars[6]) $29–$30 million (renovations)[1][7] |
| Architect | E.L. Mills & Associates[5] Populous (2011 renovation) |
| Structural engineer | Anderson Birkeland & Anderson[3] |
| General contractor | Earley Construction Co.[3] Mortenson Construction (2011 renovation) |
| Tenants | |
| Tacoma Rainiers (PCL/AAAW), 1960–present[1] Tacoma Tides (ASL), 1976[8] Tacoma Defiance (USLC/MLS Next Pro), 2018–2022 OL Reign (NWSL), 2019–2021 | |
Cheney Stadium is amulti-purpose stadium located inTacoma, Washington, United States. It is primarily used forbaseball and is home to theTacoma Rainiers of the minor leaguePacific Coast League. The stadium also hosted professionalsoccer teams, including theTacoma Defiance of theUSL Championship until 2022 andOL Reign of theNational Women's Soccer League until 2021. Cheney Stadium opened in 1960 and has a capacity of 6,500 seats. It is next toHenry Foss High School, and the stadium has an agreement with the school to use the school parking lot for parking.
Cheney Stadium is named forBen Cheney, a local businessman who worked to bring minor league baseball toTacoma and also was put in control of the project. Cheney Stadium was constructed in 42 working days after theSan Francisco Giants had committed to moving their Triple-A affiliate from Phoenix if the city could open the stadium for the beginning of the 1960 season.[9] Construction included light towers and wooden grandstand seats fromSeals Stadium in San Francisco. Several of the wooden grandstand seats are still in place today.[10]
Cheney Stadium has been home toPacific Coast League baseball continuously since 1960, in the form of seven teams: the Tacoma Giants (1960–65), Cubs (1966–71), Twins (1972–77), Yankees (1978), Tugs (1979), Tigers (A's) (1980–94), and the Rainiers (Mariners) (1995–present).
Notable players who played in Cheney Stadium includeBaseball Hall of Fame inducteesJuan Marichal,Gaylord Perry,Reggie Jackson andKen Griffey Jr., as well asTom Kelly,Jose Canseco,Mark McGwire,Jason Giambi,Félix Hernández,Cliff Lee andAlex Rodriguez.
The stadium hosted the baseball competition of the1990 Goodwill Games[11] and hosted the 30th annualTriple-A All-Star Game on July 12, 2017.[12]
It was theSeattle Mariners' alternate training site in 2020 when theCOVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of theMinor League Baseball campaign and the abbreviation of theMajor League Baseball season.[13] The Mariners had previously considered Cheney Stadium for use during the1994 season after theKingdome was closed for emergency repairs.[14]
On November 11, 2009, it was announced the City of Tacoma was considering a $30 million renovation to Cheney Stadium. Early renovation plans included a new grandstand superstructure, roof and concourse, as well as new concession stands, seats, luxury suites and a restaurant.[7] The proposal drew little controversy from taxpayers.[15]
On November 19, 2009, the Tacoma Rainiers renewed their lease with the City of Tacoma to keep playing at Cheney Stadium for 32 years.[16] The deal relied on the renovation proposal getting passed.[16] The proposal, now said to be $28 million in cost, was approved on November 25, 2009.[1] The approval means the Rainiers will continue to play in Tacoma until at least 2041, and renovations were completed before the 2011 season.[1] The renovations included basic repairs, 16 luxury suites, a kids' "play area", more restrooms and concession stands, and a new restaurant.[1]
The reserve team ofSeattle Sounders FC ofMajor League Soccer, known at the time as Seattle Sounders FC 2, played in Cheney Stadium from 2018 to 2021. The team rebranded as theTacoma Defiance in 2019, but maintained the Sounders affiliation. The club, along with theOL Reign, then known as Reign FC, of theNational Women's Soccer League originally planned to build their ownsoccer-specific stadium in a nearby parking lot, with assistance from the Rainiers, and had aimed to open the new stadium in 2021.[17][18] After the 2021 season, Major League Baseball tightened restrictions on alternate uses of their fields and both teams found new locations.[19] Reign moved their home matches toLumen Field beginning with the 2022 season.[20] The Tacoma Defiance currently play at Starfire Stadium.
The Sounders played oneU.S. Open Cup match at Cheney Stadium on June 12, 2019, which ended as a 2–1 loss to thePortland Timbers. 6,280 spectators attended the match.[21]
