Werner Park

Werner Park is a Minor League Baseball ballpark located just west of Papillion, Nebraska, a suburban city southwest of Omaha in Sarpy County. Opened in 2011, it is owned by Sarpy County. It is the home of the Omaha Storm Chasers (the Triple A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals) and USL League One professional soccer club Union Omaha. The Omaha Mavericks of the University of Nebraska Omaha also use the stadium for some home college baseball games.

The ballpark cost $36 million to construct, and is located along Nebraska Highway 370 just east of South 126th Street, less than 3 mi west of downtown Papillion in an unincorporated area of Sarpy County.

History
From 1969 through 2010, the Omaha Royals (named the Golden Spikes from 1999 to 2001) played at Rosenblatt Stadium located in downtown Omaha. Every year, the Royals had to go on an extended two-week road trip in late May or early June to accommodate the NCAA's College World Series. The Royals were also hobbled by Rosenblatt's size. At 23,000 seats in its final configuration, it was far too large for a Triple-A team; it had 5,000 more seats than the next-largest stadium, the Buffalo Bisons’ Coca-Cola Field. In hopes of providing a more intimate setting, capacity was reduced to around 8,500 for Royals games.

When the city of Omaha announced plans to build a new ballpark in downtown Omaha for the College World Series, later named TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (now Charles Schwab Field Omaha), original plans called for its capacity to be reduced to around 12,000 for Royals games. Unable to come to terms with the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA), the intended operator of the new park, the Royals instead opted to build their own park in a different location. The team considered areas both inside and outside Omaha, including other cities nationwide interested in hosting a Triple-A team, and intended to make a final decision on a new location by April 2009. On December 3, 2008, team president Alan Stein announced that the Royals and Sarpy County had signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction of a new baseball stadium. On March 17, 2009, the Royals reached a formal agreement with the county for the stadium, and on July 1, Stein announced the deal had been made official.

Construction and naming
Roger Langpaul, a real estate developer from Des Moines, Iowa, agreed to donate 310 acres of land in Sarpy County for construction of the ballpark and other buildings; the ballpark is intended to be the centerpiece of a mixed-use residential and commercial area. In exchange, the county agreed to build and maintain roads and make infrastructure improvements for the development. Groundbreaking on the ballpark took place on August 12, 2009. Most of the money for construction came from Sarpy County, but the Royals agreed to pay the county $2.35 million towards the construction costs, plus annual rent that covers roughly one-third of the debt payments. On November 11, 2010, the Royals announced they had reached an agreement with Omaha-based transportation company and longtime sponsor Werner Enterprises for the ballpark's naming rights; the deal was initially valued at $305,000 per year for five years, with an option for a five-year renewal. In 2020, the deal was extended for an additional ten years through the 2030 season.

The Omaha Storm Chasers, sporting their new name and livery that were announced on November 15, 2010, moved into Werner Park on December 17.

Features
The field is aligned northeast (home plate to center field) at an approximate elevation of 1150 ft above sea level; Rosenblatt Stadium had a similar alignment and elevation. Paved parking lots, including spaces for recreational vehicles, are located on the premises to the west and north of the stadium, with an additional overflow gravel lot further to the north, south of Lincoln Road. A 360-degree concourse runs around the field, and varies in width from 50-100 ft behind the infield and along the baselines. Seat widths vary from 22 in in the sections directly behind home plate, to 20 in along the baselines, compared to 18-19 in at Rosenblatt Stadium. Werner Park has fourteen climate-controlled luxury suites on two levels behind the first and third base lines, in addition to a field-level "dugout suite" along the third base line beyond the home dugout. The upper suite level and dugout suites have their own private restrooms.

Werner Park's scoreboard and video display is 31 ft wide and 16 ft tall and weighs 5,000 lb. A bar and beer garden is located below the scoreboard.

The park features a 6,500 ft2 children's play area located along the concourse behind left field with a carousel, inflatable bounce house, and other activities. There is also a wiffle ball field and a half-basketball court behind the concourse in left-center field. Tented picnic areas for large groups are located behind the children's play area and along the concourse in right field. A statue of hometown pitching legend Bob Gibson was unveiled outside Werner Park's main entrance in 2013.



Usage
The stadium's first event was a rivalry high school game on April 11, 2011, between the Papillion-La Vista Public Schools' two high schools, Papillion-La Vista South and Papillion-LaVista; the South Titans won, 2–0, over the Monarchs. The Storm Chasers opened the ballpark five days later on April 16 with a 2–1 victory over the Nashville Sounds, as top prospect Eric Hosmer went 3-for-3 in the victory.

The stadium is sometimes used as one of the host sites for the annual Nebraska School Activities Association high school baseball state tournament.

Since 2013, the Omaha Mavericks of the University of Nebraska Omaha have used the venue for some home college baseball games.

In July 2015, the Storm Chasers hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, the first time the events had been held in Omaha. The Derby, which was won by the Norfolk Tides' Dariel Álvarez, was held on July 13. The All-Star Game was held two days later on July 15. The Storm Chasers were represented at the game by Cheslor Cuthbert, Louis Coleman, and John Lamb as well as trainer Dave Innicca and manager Brian Poldberg, who skippered the PCL team. The IL All-Stars defeated the PCL All-Stars, 4–3.

Renovations
From the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2020, Werner Park underwent a $2.4 million renovation in order to prepare the playing surface and facilities for USL League One professional soccer club Union Omaha, scheduled to begin play in spring 2020. Modifications included a retractable pitcher's mound, alterations to the right field foul pole, and a new building in left field to house team staff and equipment.