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Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and Gulf Coast Tigers.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

Location	2301 Lakeland Hills Boulevard Lakeland, Florida 33805
Coordinates	28°4′29″N 81°57′3″W
Owner	City of Lakeland
Operator	Detroit Tigers (Stadium Operations) Delaware North (Concessions)
Capacity	8,500
Field size	Left - 340ft. Center - 420ft. Right - 340ft.
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	September 1965[1]
Opened	March 12, 1966[1]
Renovated	2002, 2016, 2017
Expanded	1988
Construction cost	$360,000 ($3.01 million in 2021 dollars[2])
Architect	Lakeland Engineering Associates
General contractor	Frank C. Decker Construction Co.
Tenants
Lakeland Flying Tigers (FSL) (1967–2001, 2003–2015, 2017-present) Detroit Tigers (MLB) (spring training) (1966–present) GCL Tigers (GCL)

On March 15, 2011, the largest crowd in the stadium's history (10,307 people) watched a spring training game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.[3]

Expansions

The stadium could seat 4,900 people when it opened in 1966. In 1988, a bleacher section was added down the left field line, increasing seating capacity to 7,027. In 2002, Joker Marchant Stadium was renovated. The State of Florida's $4.5 million grant was the biggest chunk of the financing, while the Polk County Tourist Development Council chipped in $2 million. The remainder of the renovation's cost was paid for by the Tigers and City of Lakeland, increasing capacity to its present 8,500.[1]

In October 2014, the Lakeland City Commission announced part of a new agreement with the Detroit Tigers included the start of a $37 million renovation and upgrade of the 50-year-old stadium, starting in April 2016[4][5] after Major League Baseball Spring Training. Funding provided in part by the Detroit Tigers, the City of Lakeland and Polk County. Two construction firms -- Barton Malow of Southfield, Michigan, and Rodda Construction of Lakeland -- were chosen by the City Commission to oversee the project. The Lakeland Flying Tigers -- the Detroit Tigers' High Class 'A' Minor League club at the time -- played their Florida State League season at Henley Field, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.

Naming rights

Under a 20-year deal that ends in 2036, the stadium was renamed Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on the first day of MLB's 2017 Spring Training. The Publix supermarket chain is headquartered in Lakeland and their hometown field is the only sports complex for which they have purchased naming rights. [6]

Gallery

• 
  Intersection of Kaline and Horton Way
• 
  Detroit Tigers spring training game 2009
• 
  View from behind home plate

References

External links

• Stadium information at Detroit Tigers website
• Joker Marchant Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues

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