Oakland Ballers cleared to play at Raimondi Park, make $1.6M upgrades to facility
OAKLAND – The Ballers’ stay at Raimondi Park became official Tuesday when the Oakland City Council unanimously approved an agreement for their use of the field.
In exchange, the B’s will invest $1.6 million to upgrade the park’s facilities – including a new video scoreboard and a repaired playground – so they are suitable for professional baseball games and the crowds of thousands they may draw.
“While this is about sports, it’s also not just about sports – it’s about how working together can uplift a community,” Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan said ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
The approval of the Ballers’ plan comes less than a month after the A’s announced that they will play in Sacramento from 2025 to 2027 following the expiration of their lease at the end of this season, ending the team’s 57-year tenure in Oakland.
With Raimondi Park, a 4,000-seat stadium that has been under construction for the last several months, now officially the Ballers’ home, the team outlined some plans for the park ahead of its home opener on June 4 and released stadium renderings Wednesday.
Regarding transportation, the team’s goal for its first season is to ensure that 25% of fans arrive using means other than a car. To that end, the Ballers will provide a shuttle from the West Oakland BART station to Raimondi Park. The shuttle will run every 20 minutes, starting three hours prior to first pitch and ending 30 minutes after the game concludes. Additionally, the team will provide a free bike and scooter valet near the ballpark. Local bike groups will lead bikers to and from the park.
For fans who drive, there will be three attended parking lots with more than 1,000 parking spaces, including one lot available for rideshare. Overflow parking will be available at the West Oakland BART station. Parking can be purchased ahead of games on the team’s website. Security will be posted around the park.
As far as food and beverages, Raimondi Park will feature a standard ballpark slate of burgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos, vegetarian options, soda, beer, wine and cocktails, among other choices. The Ballers plan to rotate food trucks as well.
On nights when the team is not using Raimondi Park, the field will be available to the community. Access to the field includes use of the video scoreboard, which can be reserved for movie nights. The playground near the ballpark has been repaired and updated.
Starting Wednesday, the Ballers will pause ticket sales as they migrate to a new ticketing system that the team says will decrease fees. Beginning on May 6, fans can purchase single-game tickets ahead of games for $15 (bargain bleachers), $20 (general admission), $25 (reserved bleachers) or $30 (premium reserved seats) (including fees). For fans who purchase tickets on gameday, prices will be $18 (bargain bleachers), $23 (general admission), $28 (reserved bleachers) and $33 (premium reserved seats) (including fees).
Raimondi Parki will have a pair of gates on 18th Street and 20th Street Both gates will open one hour before first pitch. For those who purchased reserved seats, the 20th Street gate will open an hour and a half before first pitch.
The Ballers begin their inaugural season on May 21, but they open the campaign with a 12-game road trip and will not play their first game at home until June 4 when they host the Yolo High Wheelers, who will also be playing their inaugural season in the Pioneer League.
The Ballers, originally slated to play at Laney College until plans fell through, will play 48 home games this season. They planned to play one game at the Oakland Coliseum in late June, but the A’s blocked the agreement.
Last night, Oakland City Council unanimously voted to approve our $1.6M plan to reactivate our city’s historic Raimondi Park.
We're so grateful to the residents of Prescott and West Oakland, the City of Oakland, the fans of baseball and all who believe in the Town for your… pic.twitter.com/tK4uklZFob
— Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) May 1, 2024