Oakland Ballers cleared to play at Raimondi Park, make $1.6 million 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.

“It’s been a real team effort between the Ballers and the city of Oakland to make this happen and we couldn’t be more excited,” Paul Freedman, co-founder of the B’s, told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday.

Raimondi Park had been under construction for the last several months, but prior to Tuesday’s vote, the team was limited to working on the field, itself. Now, the team can build up the infrastructure around the field, a list that includes the scoreboard, bleachers, dugouts, playground and more. Freedman expressed confidence that the infrastructure will be completed prior to the team’s home opener on June 4.

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 now officially the Ballers’ home, the team outlined some plans for the park ahead of its first season and released stadium renderings Wednesday.

The park will have a capacity of 4,000 seats, not including the grass beyond the outfield fences. Originally, the seated capacity was around 200. The bleachers are temporary, set to be put up in May and taken down after the season. The Ballers are partnering with InProduction, a company that specializes in temporary seating.

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. There are also several AC transit stops within a half mile of the ballpark.

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. According to Freedman, the team is coordinating a bike caravan in cooperation with fans.

“It will be cool if the experience of going to a baseball game actually begins an hour earlier because you’re biking with a whole bunch of people down Telegraph Ave. ultimately on your way to Raimondi,” Freedman said. “We want to build these things into our culture as well.”

For fans who drive, there will be three attended parking lots, two of which will be under a roof, 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. In addition to private security, the team is partnering with the Oakland Police Department.

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 is 31 feet by 19 feet 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