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Kauffman Stadium
Home of the Kansas City Royals
In 2005, the Kansas City Royals celebrated their 33rd season at Kauffman Stadium. The facility, which was originally known as Royals Stadium, opened in April 1973 and is currently recognized as one of baseball's most beautiful ballparks. With over 39,000 fans in attendance for the inaugural game, Kansas City defeated Texas in a 12-1 victory. Many of baseball's greatest games have been played at Kauffman Stadium, including the 1973 All-Star Game, three no-hitters, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1985 playoff games and seven World Series titles in 1980 and 1985. In 1993, the stadium was officially re-named in honor of Ewing M. Kauffman. The renaming was appropriate as it was Kauffman's ownership that served as the cornerstone for the Royals success. In 1968, Kauffman purchased the team as an expansion franchise with the hopes of providing Kansas City with a winning baseball team. In addition, Ewing Kauffman was very much involved in the Kansas City community, which is an important aspect of the current Royals philosophy. Since opening it's doors, Kauffman Stadium has welcomed over 53 million visitors, including a record set in 1989 with 2,477,700 spectators.
Among the amenities at Kauffman Stadium are a scoreboard boasting a 12-story rise into the sky and a 322ft. wide spectacular cascading water show, which is the largest privately funded fountain in the world. In 1990, a Sony JumboTron color video display board was constructed for the left field hillside. Known as one of the largest video boards in the United States, the JumboTron measures 30'x40'. Prior to the 1995 season, the artificial surface was replaced by a grass playing field. In addition, Crown Seats were added along with four dugout suites. The Picnic Pavilion, which was added prior to 2000, is located near the base of the JumboTron.
Another amenity at Kauffman Stadium, the Little K is a miniature ballpark for kids age 12 and under. One child is featured live on the JumboTron during each game of the Pepsi Long Ball Challenge. The Little K also offers a Speed Pitch game, which allows children and adults to test their throwing arm. Along those same lines, batting cages were added in 2005. These facilities are available for fans of all ages and range from slow to medium speeds. Batting clinics are also available under expert instruction. The batting cages are located behind Little K.
Fans can visit the Royals Hall of Fame, which is located at Kauffman Stadium, on the Plaza Level behind section 107. This facility exhibits trophies and highlights some of the greatest moments and heroes in Royals history. In addition, Kauffman Stadium hosts regular tours so that fans can have an inside look at the facility.
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