The Okotoks Dawgs will be expanding the fan experience at Seaman Stadium.
Slated for the coming season are additions to the grandstand seating along the first base line as well as new positions for VIP seating adjacent the Dawgs dugout and Kore 4 Corner.
"We're really excited about it," Dawgs general manager Tyler Hollick said during an announcement Wednesday afternoon. "We sold out all 33 games last year, and we're hoping to do the same in 2024."
While the overall capacity of Seaman Stadium hasn't changed, the move creates more grandstand seating and other options.
"What we want is for the fans who want it, a more elevated experience ... corporate outings, networking opportunities, bachelor or birthday parties, they are able to enjoy the hospitality suites or the group booking patios a lot easier."
The new section of grandstand seating will occupy a stretch of grass below the Anthem 1st Base Patio, adding approximately 140 seats.
There will also be an expansion of the Kore-4 addition put in for 2022.
"The second addition we are doing is an extension of the Kore-4 Plus-14 corner, it will be a renovated sea can, with two 20-foot side-by-side in-fence suites, with a bleacher-type section on top," Hollick explained.
"It will be a lot of fun for fans out there to get more engaged with the game play."
Seaman Stadium will also be adding to its visual real-estate with an 80x5 foot LED video board over the outfield fence, which Hollick said will be used for fan engagement, brand and activation opportunities.
Okotoks is also set to host the 2024 and 2025 WCBL All-Star games.
The sold-out 2023 All-Star game brought in a record-breaking 6,003 fans.
The social and economic benefit is obvious, said Okotoks Coun. Rachel Swendseid, who was on hand for the announcement.
"Not only are they part of the community in terms of energizing it, but they're also a huge economic boost," Swendseid said. "For example, every regular season of the Dawgs, there are economic spinoffs of between $500,000-600,000; now that exponentially increases if they get to the playoffs, and they do almost every year."
The same goes for the WCBL All-Star game, she added.
"I'm so happy to have as many eyes on Okotoks as possible, coming into our community," Swendseid said. "They highlight the Dawgs and they highlight the community that's been built around them, and then we get people coming here spending their money.
"And we have a lot of kids in Okotoks that love baseball and so the high calibre of that all-star game coming to Okotoks, and these kids are on the berm watching it is absolutely fantastic."
