Courtesy of press release from the Portland Sea Dogs.
Portland, Maine- Baseball is back at Hadlock Field starting May 4th! We are thrilled to announce we have gained state approval for our 2021 reopening plan and we could not be more excited to safely welcome back our employees, fans, and players to Hadlock Field.
As we enter the 2021 season, we have worked with the state of Maine on a reopening plan that will put us at 28% capacity (2,087 fans) to start the season. This reduction in attendance will help us achieve our first priority: ensuring the safety of our employees, fans, and players. The ballpark will be set up with seating pods ranging from sets of two to eight seats; each will be at least six feet from the nearest pod.
To allow for potential changes to our capacity limits, we will be selling tickets on a month-to-month basis beginning in April for May games, and continuing in May for June games, June for July games, and so on. Sea Dogs’ season ticket members will have a priority opportunity to purchase tickets before we open them up for sale to the public. We will release our promotional schedule in the same month-to-month format, allowing us to evaluate on a monthly basis what is safe for us to do.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for May games will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, April 14th at 12:00 noon. Fans can either purchase tickets online at seadogs.com or call the Sea Dogs Ticket Office at 207-879-9500. Tickets will be sold in advance only. No on-site ticket sales will be permitted to start the season. Fans can visit seadogs.com for complete ticketing info including answers to frequently asked questions.
We have also implemented a red/yellow/green ticket status moving forward. Below is an explanation of that program. We are currently in a Yellow status and anticipate being in this for much, if not all of 2021.
Green- when green is designated by Sea Dog officials, we will honor tickets via our normal operating procedures.
Yellow- when yellow is designated by Sea Dog officials, we will have reduced capacity available to fans. Specific instructions on how to purchase tickets will be provided. If you are applying a ticket purchased from a previous game to a game with a yellow designation only the amount paid for that ticket via the Sea Dogs ticket office is applicable towards the purchase price of the ticket to the yellow game. If a ticket was purchased via a reseller or via a donation only the purchase price paid when it was acquired from the Sea Dogs will be applied to the new ticket. Fans may also hold on to valid exchangeable tickets and exchange them once the Sea Dogs status returns to green.
Red- when red is designated by Sea Dog officials that means no fans are permitted into the ballpark due to health and safety concerns. If the Sea Dogs are under a red designation fans with tickets to games designated as red will have a specific timeframe to request a refund or may hold on to their tickets and apply the price paid towards a future game. Please note any exchange or refund request must be accompanied by the original tickets.
As events unfolded last spring, we hoped that 2021 would be back to normal. Because we are not quite there yet, we are also offering fans who have held on to their 2020 tickets to once again request a refund. Fans may do so starting now through June 1, 2021. Because the physical tickets are still active and subject to the redeeming policies listed above, we do need the original tickets turned back into us in order to process the refund.
Therefore, fans with tickets from 2020 have three options; Option 1: the amount that was paid for their 2020 tickets can be put towards the price of purchasing 2021 tickets. Option 2: they can choose to wait until the Sea Dogs return to a green status, where they will be able to exchange their tickets straight up for tickets of the same seating level or lower, based upon availability, per our normal operating procedures. Option 3: request a refund prior to June 2, 2021.
Ticket prices for the 2021 season are $19.00 for box seats, $18.00 for reserved seats, and $17.00 for grandstand seats.
Sky Boxes are available to rent for up to eight people. Visit seadogs.com for more information or call the Sea Dogs Tickets Office at 207-879-9500.
When Opening Day 2021 rolls around on May 4th it will mark 610 days since the Sea Dogs last played a game. In the absence of baseball, we have tried our best to make a positive impact within our community. Within the organization, we supported our seasonal associates by paying them for the 2020 season despite having no games and kept our front office staff fully intact. For our fans and the local community, we turned our ballpark into a golf course, a restaurant with on-field dining, and a Halloween Trick-or-Treating destination. We also hosted a virtual sellout for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, a virtual 5K for Make-A-Wish Maine, and sold “I Miss Slugger” t-shirts for the United Way of Greater Portland. We were the first team to offer refunds on 2020 tickets last April, more than two months before our season was officially canceled. Each of these efforts, and many others not listed, were a way for us to positively serve you, our fans, and bring hope that normalcy will return.
PROMOTIONS
Every Wednesday throughout the season will be a bobblehead giveaway. May is highlighted by the first of two Bobby Dalbec and Darwinzon Hernandez bobblehead giveaways. On Wednesday, May 5th the first 500 fans will receive a Bobby Dalbec bobblehead with a home run counter, courtesy of Royal River Heat Pumps and on Wednesday, May 26th, the first 500 fans will receive a Darwinzon Hernandez bobblehead, courtesy of AAA. The first fireworks show of the season will take place on Friday, May 28th followed by Superhero Day on Saturday, May 29th. Additionally, the Sea Dogs will host a Breast Cancer Awareness Day and wear pink jerseys on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9th. For a complete list of May promotions, visit seadogs.com.
SAFETY PROTOCOLS
The safety of our fans, players, and staff is our top priority. The Portland Sea Dogs have established numerous health & safety protocols at Hadlock Field for the 2021 season including increased sanitation procedures, reduced contact measures, and physical distancing practices.
Face Masks
All fans will be required to be masked at all times, even while seated. The only exception will be when fans are in their seats and actively eating or drinking. Nobody will be permitted into the ballpark without a mask and anyone violating the mask rule in the ballpark will be removed.
Enhanced Cleaning & Sanitation
Enhanced daily cleaning procedures include frequent wipe downs of high-touch areas such as countertops, railings, doorknobs, and elevators, nightly disinfection of all interior areas, and frequent trash removal. Use of EPA-certified cleaning products with reduced dwell times will be used. Restrooms will be cleaned multiple times throughout each game. A cleaning porter will be assigned to each restroom to continuously clean all surfaces throughout the game. Hand Sanitizer stations will be located throughout the ballpark at all entrances, concourses, and restrooms.
Additional Entrances
The Sea Dogs have added additional entrances, for a total of four, to the ballpark for the 2021 season to help maintain physical distancing. Fans will be assigned specific entrances where they will enter and exit the ballpark from. The entrances will be marked on their ticket. Traffic flow will be marked with arrows with staff monitoring proper flow and distance between groups.
Pod Seating
Seats have been laid out throughout the ballpark in pods of 2-8 seats. Each pod is located at least six feet from the next pod. In addition, nowhere in the ballpark will one seating pod need to walk through another pod. We’ve utilized the end of rows and only used the middle of rows when we aren’t using the end of those same rows. This will again minimize the chance of getting within six feet of any fan. Fans must buy the entire pod of seats. Any separating seat that is not part of a pod will be tied up so it can’t be used.
Mobile Food Ordering
All concessions sales will be in-seat only. Fans will be able to order via their phone or from one of our service staff. Food will then be delivered to the specific seat location. Sea Dogs’ souvenirs will also be available through mobile ordering with seat delivery.
Mobile & Touchless Ticketing
Fans are asked to use our mobile ticketing or print-at-home options. Tickets will be sent directly to your phone, where fans can enter the ballpark through our touchless ticket scanners, which will allow guests to enter the stadium faster and safer.
On-Field Personnel
Major League Baseball was able to successfully return to the field in 2020 thanks to a stringent testing and contact tracing program. Their plan in the return to play at the Minor League level will follow similar guidelines. Additionally, there will be a 12-foot buffer between the field and seats in areas where players commonly are (dugout, bullpen, on-deck circle) to help protect fans from players and vice versa.
Employees
All game-day staff will participate in online training prior to working their first shift. The training will review all safety measures being implemented at the ballpark. Employees will be required to self-evaluate for COVID symptoms prior to leaving for work. We will use the embedded self-checker code available on the CDC website
A complete list of Hadlock Field COVID-19 health & safety protocols is available at seadogs.com.
The Sea Dogs will play a 120-game schedule (60 home and 60 away) in 2021 with the Sea Dogs scheduled to open the season on Tuesday, May 4th at 6:00 PM against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 6:00 PM.
