06
Oct
2015
SmartAsset annual study puts the Quad Cities River Bandits' home No. 1 among all Class-A towns
DAVENPORT, Iowa (October 2, 2015) - Following a record-setting season for the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park, the team's home town ranks among the best for America's pastime. Davenport is the No. 3 Minor League Baseball Town in America, and No. 1 in Class-A baseball, according to results announced this week from a SmartAsset study of all 159 U.S. minor league baseball towns.
This season, a franchise-record 3,906 fans per game came to Modern Woodmen Park, which this summer was voted the best Class-A ballpark in a Ballpark Digest contest. A 20-year-high of 250,004 total attendance helped the team and ballpark to a higher Game Day Experience score than the study's top two overall towns - the Triple-A cities of Round Rock, Texas, and Omaha, Neb.
Davenport ranked No. 1 among all towns with a Double-A or lower classification in the study. In August, the Quad Cities region was ranked the No. 1 minor league sports market in the Sports Business Journal's biennial ranking.
"The fans in the Quad Cities region made this season our best ever, and they have proven why this community ranks as the best of its level for America's pastime," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "We are so grateful for our partnership with the City of Davenport, Modern Woodmen of America and everyone throughout the Quad Cities region, who make River Bandits' games so much fun and Modern Woodmen Park the friendliest ballpark in America!"
"Teamwork is an essential skill for the Quad Cities River Bandits on the field and teamwork is an essential skill to successfully develop and market a region," said Joe Taylor, President/CEO of the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are proud of our River Bandits and all their honors as one of the Quad Cities Marvels on the Mississippi."
The River Bandits' success under Main Street Baseball, and the number of awards and accolades the team and its ballpark have earned in the past eight seasons has been unprecedented in Minor League Baseball. Modern Woodmen Park was voted the No. 1 Minor League Ballpark in a 2013 USA TODAY and 10Best.com poll. Four times Modern Woodmen Park has been recognized by Ballpark Digest with the nation's Best Ballpark Improvement award. This year, the team's name was voted one of the top eight in Minor League Baseball in a Sporting News contest. In May, the team's logo was voted among the top eight - and best in the Midwest League - in Baseball America's Logo Mania, and Modern Woodmen Park's R.I.A. Federal Credit Union Hon. Lane Evans Patriot Seats were voted the No. 2 Best Seats at any minor league ballpark in the country - and the top view of any ballpark at the Class-A and short season level - by fans on MiLB.com. In June, fans voted Modern Woodmen Park the "Best of the Ballparks" in a Ballpark Digest contest featuring all 30 Class-A ballparks. Recently, the team's was cap voted among the top three in Minor League Baseball - and best of any Class-A club. The club also recently won a Golden Bobblehead Award recognizing the best promotions in Minor League Baseball and was nominated for another this season.
"The collection of recent awards for the Quad Cities only begins to tell the story of a great community that enthusiastically supports the River Bandits, and its passion motivates us to build on a record-setting year at Modern Woodmen Park," said River Bandits General Manager Andrew Chesser. "We are already planning exciting promotions and improvements for a great 2016 season, as we seek to offer the best affordable, family-friendly entertainment in the Quad Cities region."
UP NEXT: The Ferris wheel at Modern Woodmen Park is open to the public every Saturday of October, weather permitting. Through Oct. 24, the wheel will operate every Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The wheel's final operation for the season will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 31.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: With the installation of the Ferris Wheel, the River Bandits ownership in 2014 made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931, and this year the club is matching that effort by opening three new areas. A two-tiered special group deck immediately behind and overlooking the corn field opened in June. A new 11,000-square-foot concourse expansion down the third-base line will open late August. Finally, the club has expanded the children's play area by an additional 5,500 square feet down the right-field line, with additional bounce houses and the newest ride - Spin Zone Bumper Cars - as the latest attraction.
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