CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—A group of investors wants to put a minor league baseball team in the University of Illinois’ stadium in 2009, but there are three key hurdles to clear, including the sale of beer.
First, Illinois Field would need to be expanded and improved for a team in the Frontier League, a 12-team league with no Major League Baseball affiliation, said Matt Perry of Denver-based National Sports Services. Perry, whose consulting firm is part of the ownership group, isn’t sure how much it would cost or who would pay.
Second, the would-be owners are still studying the market, though Perry noted Wednesday that Champaign County and the surrounding area offer about a half million potential ticket buyers.
And third, the team would need to sell beer, something not typically allowed at university sports venues.
“It is a critical piece,” Perry said. “It could be a deal breaker if we can’t.”
Sponsorships to sell beer in stadiums are a key revenue source for sports teams, Perry said, but also a big part of what fans expect to find in pro baseball stadiums.
The proposed Champaign team would have to get both university trustees and the General Assembly to allow beer sales at Illinois Field.
The university and legislature allowed alcohol sales at a campus sports venue at least once in the past, during Chicago Bears games played at Memorial Stadium in 2002 and the 2003 preseason, university spokesman Mike Lillich said.
“We feel like that was handled well with minimal issues,” added university Sports Information Director Kent Brown. “We hope that would play a part in the decision.”
The ownership group has talked a little with the university about stadium renovations, but doesn’t yet know if the school would cover part of the yet-to-be-determined cost, Perry said.
Brown said it’s too early to say, but noted that Illinois Field was built with private money given to the university rather than state funds. That’s true of recent renovations at the tennis and golf facilities, too, he said.
Illinois baseball coach Dan Hartleb said improving Illinois Field, which now sits idle through the summer, could help propel the Illini into college baseball’s big time.
“It puts us in the position to have the type of stadium facilities that some other schools across the country have,” he told The (Champaign) News-Gazette. “It would be a tremendous boost to our recruiting.”
The Frontier League has a dozen teams scattered from Missouri to Pennsylvania, including four in Illinois: Crestwood, Loves Park, Sauget and Marion, whose Southern Illinois Miners joined the league last season. They play from late May through early September.
The Champaign owners also include Steven Edelson, managing director of Northbrook-based International Facilities Group. The company helped develop Chicago’s United Center and U.S. Cellular Field.
