Atlantic League to Expand into Richmond, VA?
By Joe McDonald on August 17, 2008
It’s all going according to plan in the Atlantic League. All eight franchises are drawing well, while the league continues to look for opportunities to expand.
One place may be Richmond, VA. According to one official, the league is looking to place a team down in the Virginia capital to possibly replace the Triple-A Braves, who will relocate to Gwinnett County, GA in 2009.
“It all depends upon if they can build an Atlantic League stadium,” said the official.
That may be the sticking point as the Braves organization looking for the city to build a new team for its affiliate. Unfortunately a plan for a new facility fell through, which is why it’s relocating after 44 seasons.
And that opens the door for the independent league.
If a deal can be reached, the new team can play at The Diamond, built in 1934 and renovated in 1985 until a stadium can be built. Currently the existing building holds 12, 134 and is also the home to the Virginia Commonwealth University baseball team. Since it is too large for the Atlantic League, whose stadiums hold between 5,000-6,500 fans, a new facility is needed in the mold of the modern fan friendly facilities that decorate the league.
Besides the Atlantic League, there’s talk of the Double-A Eastern League also looking to relocate a team to Richmond.
If a new Atlantic League team comes to Virginia in 2009, the league will go back to the “Road Warrior” format, with 10 overall teams, nine with home stadiums and one playing exclusively on the road.
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