The XFL‘s Dallas Renegades will begin play at a reconfigured Globe Life Park in early 2020, as plans were unveiled Thursday to convert the former Texas Rangers home for football and professional soccer.
First opening in 1994 as The Ballpark in Arlington, Globe Life Park was home to the Rangers through the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s 2019 regular season. In 2020, the team will move into Globe Life Field—a retractable-roof ballpark currently under construction across from Globe Life Park—but its former home will remain standing for other purposes. The Renegades will call it home starting in 2020, and will be joined by professional soccer’s North Texas SC (USL League One). Details released Thursday provided some insight into the facility’s conversion process, which will include seating renovations, a new playing surface, removal of the third base dugout, and new/renovated locker rooms.
THE NEW FIELD: The football field and soccer pitch will be built to run north and south along what was previously the first base/right field side of the park. The third base dugout and the lower 18 rows of the third base seating bowl (approximately 6,000 total seats) will be removed to accommodate the north end of the field. The south end zone of the field will begin approximately 50 feet out from the front row of the Home Run Porch in order to improve sightlines on the south side.
The first base dugout will remain with the tunnel to be used for access to the home locker rooms. A tunnel will be constructed in the north end zone for access to the visiting and officials locker rooms.
FIELD SURFACE: The playing surface will be a synthetic grass field provided by Shaw Sports Turf with installation completed by Paragon Sports Constructors. The Rangers are also utilizing a state-of the art synthetic grass field in the new Globe Life Field. The permanent field surface will be unmarked to allow for seamless field conversion. The appropriate field lines will be added for each event.
ADDITIONAL SEATING: While the current first base bowl will provide the majority of the seating on the west side of the field, a permanent seating structure will be constructed on the field’s east side in the area that was previously left field, the visiting bullpen, and the left field reserved seating area. Approximately 4,000 seats will be added below the left field club level. The new configuration will provide access to rest rooms and concessions on Vandergriff Plaza.
OTHER SEATING BOWL RENOVATIONS: A television booth as well as home and visiting coaches’ booths will be constructed in the lower suite level at the mid-field location. The current press box will be utilized to accommodate all other media, broadcasting, and scoreboard operations for football and soccer events. Bench seating to accommodate bands attending football events will be installed in the current bowl down the left field and right field lines.
LOCKER ROOMS: The Texas Rangers clubhouse on the first base side will be renovated to accommodate the Dallas Renegades. This will include the addition of lockers to accommodate approximately 60 players in the main dressing area. Head coach Bob Stoops and the Renegades football staff will office in this location as well. The current visiting clubhouse on the third base side will be the visiting football locker room with lockers being added to this area.
In addition, two new auxiliary locker rooms are being built in the area that previously housed the Rangers’ and visiting batting cages. Each locker room will accommodate up to 80 players and will have coaches’ offices and shower facilities. This will allow for the hosting of multiple events and teams on the same day.
SBL Architecture of Arlington, which has its offices at Globe Life Park and has been involved in many of the facility’s renovations over the years, designed the reconfiguration of the park. The project’s general contractor is Manhattan Construction, which built The Ballpark in Arlington in the early 1990’s and is currently constructing the new Globe Life Field.
The Globe Life Park in Arlington reconfiguration is beginning this week with the removal of the baseball playing field and seats in the right field corner, along the third base line, in the left field corner, and in the left field reserved areas. In addition, the modules on the upper left field video board have been removed as these will be utilized for the out-of-town scoreboard located in centerfield in the new Globe Life Field. Work on Globe Life Park is expected to be complete by early 2020. The Renegades season begins in early February with North Texas Soccer Club starting its schedule in March.
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