Blue Wahoos Stadium

Blue Wahoos Stadium, located in the Community Maritime Park, is a multi-use park in Pensacola, Florida, that includes a stadium, commercial buildings, a waterfront public park and amphitheater.^[8] The mixed use stadium holds 5,038 people and can be used for a number of events year-round, including baseball, soccer, football, festivals, graduations, and similar events. The multi-use stadium was originally designed to be the home field of the Pensacola Pelicans; it hosts the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Southern League. The stadium is situated facing the Pensacola Bay. The playing surface is titled "Admiral Jack Fetterman Field", honoring the U.S. Navy three-star vice admiral, who retired in Pensacola and became a prominent civic leader. Along with Vince Whibbs Sr., the two were influential in getting the Community Maritime Park project approved by voters.^[1]

Blue Wahoos Stadium^[1]

Fetterman Field
2012 photo of the Stadium
Location	351 West Cedar Street Pensacola, FL 32502
Coordinates	30°24′15.6″N 87°13′05.6″W
Owner	Community Maritime Park Associates
Operator	Community Maritime Park Associates
Capacity	5,038[2]
Surface	Artificial Turf
Construction
Broke ground	September 17, 2009[3]
Opened	April 5, 2012
Construction cost	$23,845,045.23[4] ($32.7 million in 2024 dollars[5])
Architect	Populous[4] Bullock Tice Associates[4] SMB Architecture[4]
Project manager	Hatch Mott MacDonald/Morette[6]
Structural engineer	Joe DeReuil Associates, LLC.[7]
Services engineer	Schmidt Consulting Engineers[7]
General contractor	Magi Construction JV[4]
Main contractors	Southeastern Construction Inc.[4]
Tenants
Pensacola Blue Wahoos (SL/Double-A South) (2012–present) West Florida Argonauts (NCAA) (2016–2021)

History

On April 28, 2009, the Pensacola City Council gave final approval for the ballpark to be built.^[9]

The entire project cost $54 million and was completed in time for the Blue Wahoos' inaugural home opener on April 5, 2012. Building the ballpark cost $23,845,045.23.^[4]

Stadium description

Blue Wahoos Stadium

Blue Wahoos Stadium is a 117,000 square feet (10,900 m²), 5,038 seat multi-use venue. Construction includes precast concrete bowl seating, steel framed elevated slabs, post-tensioned slabs-on-grade, and an auger cast pile foundation with concrete grade beams and pile caps. This project was custom designed to meet the needs for the use by a minor league baseball team as well as for accommodating other sporting and festival type events. The structure and slab-on-grade was pile supported due to poor soil conditions and concern over scour from hurricanes.

During steel fabrication and foundation construction, a Double-A baseball team was acquired. This acquisition required enhancements to the stadium. This was a challenge for the design team who worked diligently to adjust the structure while using newly constructed elements within the enhancements, while providing subcontractors information needed to keep construction moving forward without incurring additional mobilization fees.^[10]

Randall K. and Martha A. Hunter Amphitheater description

The amphitheater has architecturally exposed steel trusses and frames supporting curved steel roof purlins with a heavy timber, tongue-and-groove roof deck. The steel trusses and frames are designed and shaped to resemble the fronds of a palm tree. The steel structure is supported on concrete piers that are supported on a large concrete pile cap that rests on auger-cast-in-place piles. The concrete piers also support the main stage floor. The stage floor is a flat plate, 8 inches (200 mm) thick post-tensioned concrete slab.^[11]

UWF Football

The stadium hosted the Argonauts football team of the University of West Florida (UWF) for six seasons from 2016 to 2021.^[12][13][14] On November 13, 2021, the Argonauts won a share of their first-ever Gulf South Conference football title at the stadium in a win over Valdosta State.^[15] On November 20, 2021, UWF hosted their first-ever home NCAA Division II playoff game at the venue.^[16]