Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the ballpark of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is also used for college football, and from December 2008 to December 2017 was the home of the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual postseason bowl game. The venue is the only non-retractable domed stadium in Major League Baseball, making it the only year-round indoor venue in MLB. Tropicana Field is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarps as they are for most Rays games.
"The Trop" | |
Tropicana Field in 2022 | |
Tropicana Field Location in Florida Tropicana Field Location in the United States | |
| Former names | Florida Suncoast Dome (1990–1993) ThunderDome (1993–1996) |
|---|---|
| Address | One Tropicana Drive |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°46′6″N 82°39′12″W |
| Public transit | 16th Street & 1st Avenue S |
| Owner | City of St. Petersburg |
| Operator | Tampa Bay Rays Ltd. |
| Capacity | 45,369 (1998) 44,027 (1999) 44,445 (2000–2001) 43,772 (2002–2006) 38,437 (2007) 36,048 (2008) 36,973 (2009–2010) 34,078 (2011–2013) 31,042 (2014–2018) 25,000 (2019–present) 42,735 (including tarp-covered seats) 48,044 (Record Attendance WWE Royal Rumble 2024) |
| Field size | Left Field – 315 ft (96 m) Left-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Center Field – 404 ft (123 m) Right-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Right Field – 322 ft (98 m) Backstop – 50 ft (15 m) |
| Surface | AstroTurf (1998–1999) FieldTurf (2000–2010) AstroTurf GameDay Grass (2011–2017) Shaw Sports Turf (2017–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 22, 1986 |
| Opened | March 3, 1990 |
| Renovated | 2014 |
| Construction cost | US$130 million ($291 million in 2022 dollars) |
| Architect | HOK Sport (Kansas City) Lescher & Mahoney Sports (Tampa) Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects (St. Petersburg) |
| Structural engineer | Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Inc. (bowl) Geiger Engineers P.C. (roof) |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols |
| Tenants | |
| Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) (1991–1996) Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1993–1996) Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (1998–present) St. Petersburg Bowl (NCAA) (2008–2017) WWE ThunderDome (pro-wrestling) (2020–2021) | |
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the facility and its name was changed to the ThunderDome until the team moved to their new home in downtown Tampa in 1996. In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company then based in nearby Bradenton, signed a 30-year naming rights deal.
Tropicana Field's location and design (especially the ceiling catwalks) have been widely criticized. Along with Oakland Coliseum, it is often cited as one of the worst ballparks in Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball has cited the need to replace Oakland Coliseum and Tropicana Field as one of the primary obstacles to future MLB expansion.
In 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays announced a deal with local politicians to build a new stadium near Tropicana Field at an expected cost of $1.2 billion, half of which would fall on taxpayers. The St. Petersburg City Council blocked a proposal to allow St. Petersburg citizens to express their view on the stadium subsidy in an advisory referendum.