ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) – The Green Bay Booyah are back. Almost. A shortened season has been announced for the Northwoods League started July 1st. Homeruns, hot dogs, and cold beer are returning to Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon in just a few weeks.
“We’re just excited after a trying few months, now for the community come out and kick back and enjoy some baseball on a warm summer night. I think everybody’s looking forward to getting back to some type of normalcy and it’s all definitely helping a lot,” says Vice President John Fanta, “Definitely a longer offseason than we all wanted, but to have them just knowing that we’re going to play baseball is extremely exciting and gratifying…Playing a shortened season, but a season nonetheless, is super exciting for us to be able to achieve this year.”
It will start off with a two-week schedule including six teams that currently have plans to play. The expectation is for a lengthier schedule to be announced, and for the season to run through August 20th with playoffs on August 21st and 22nd.
“Do it in a safe manner but also have a lot of fun while we’re getting back to our new reality,” Fanta says, “I think there’s going to be a lot of high demand this summer for folks that want to get out and do something fun with their families, and there’s going to be a limited capacity of tickets. I think those will go pretty quickly once we make them available.”
The Booyah will work to reach out and place all season ticket package holders. When all ticket holders are placed, fans that sign up for the Priority List on the Booyah website will have a 48 hour window to purchase any single game tickets before the general public.
The plan is to start off with Capital Credit Union Park at about 25% fan capacity, but that could change as different restrictions are amended throughout the summer.
“The concourses are extremely wide here compared to every other ballpark in the league so I think we’re set up much better than even some others in regards to keeping fans safe and letting folks have their space,” Fanta tells WTAQ News, “All of our staff will be wearing masks this year as part of our plan. We will have a barrier in between all the concessions and cashiers, as well as our workers working at kiosks around the ballpark.”
Food and beverages will either be wrapped or served in clamshell boxes. There is also a seating map organized with pods throughout the stadium that are distanced six or more feet from the next group. All transactions from tickets to concessions and merchandise will be cashless this year.
The goal is safety for everyone, including the players coming to the area from colleges across the country.
“They’ll all be tested upon arriving to Green Bay and quarantined until we get a negative test results back. We will be monitoring them on a daily basis,” Fanta says, “They will not be using it the locker rooms at the facility. The visiting team will come in through a private entrance, have their pregame meals, and go straight to the field or to the dugout. Once they’re on the field, there’s plenty space up there as well to distance.”
Road trips will likely not include every player on the roster.
