History
The drive to build a stadium in the Reno-Sparks area began in 2002, with Sierra Nevada Baseball's purchase of land near the Sparks Marina. In 2003, Nevada state Legislature passed a Washoe county rental car tax surcharge to partially finance the new stadium. However, Sierra Nevada Baseball's plans fell through when they were unable to secure the private financing portion of construction, as well as the cost to purchase and relocate a Triple-A team.
In 2007, SK Baseball stepped in and proposed a new stadium plan, redeveloping an eastern portion of downtown Reno. They entered into an agreement with the county in May 2007, secured financing, and bought the Tucson Sidewinders with the intent of moving them to Reno by the 2009 season.
Ground was broken on February 25, 2008, for what was tentatively called Sierra Nevada Stadium. It was later renamed Aces Ballpark once the Reno Aces were named. The stadium was constructed on an accelerated schedule, with only 1 year, 50 days between breaking ground and opening day.
On Friday, April 17, 2009, the Reno Aces played their first home game in Aces Stadium, to an over-capacity crowd of 9,167. They beat the Salt Lake Bees by a score of 11–1.
Read more about this topic: Aces Ballpark
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