The Phillies want to attract more young people to Citizens Bank Park so they have added a climbing wall and a mini field of dreams to the ballpark.
The hope of the family-friendly "The Yard" area where kids can hit Wiffle balls and run the bases on Citizens Bank Phan Field out in right center field (where Bull’s BBQ used to be) and climb the wall featuring Philly skyscrapers, City Hall and the Phanatic itself is to draw families back to Citizens Bank Park.
The team bills The Yard as an "interactive baseball experience that literally gets kids in the game."
John Weber, Phillies' vice president of ticket sales and operations, told NBC10’s news gathering partner The Philadelphia Business Journal that the Phils are hoping to get young people hooked on the ballpark experience so that they become lifelong fans.
The Phillies were set to unveil the 13,000-square-foot centerpiece of their $30-million CBP renovation project to the media on Tuesday night but weather postponed the event. The team, however, was able to cut the ribbon before the home opener on Thursday.
Besides The Yard, the Phillies also revamped CBP’s left field plaza, featuring some Phillies history including Hall of Fame plaques, 6-foot high retired numbers and an 8-foot World Series trophy, reported the business journal. The team also relocated Bull’s to left field and expanded Ashburn Alley.
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The team is focused on bringing fans back to the 15-year-old ballpark after seasons of losing baseball following the World Series-winning heyday of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels.
The Phillies ranked 24th in baseball last season while drawing only 24,118 fans per a game, failing to break the 2 million mark in attendance for the third-consecutive season, according to ESPN’s MLB Attendance Report. The Phillies led baseball with 3.57 million fans as recently as 2012.
