Sports

Braves extend spring training contract with ESPN sports complex through 2019

A detail view of the Atlanta Braves logo on a batting helmet before the game against the Cleveland Indians at Turner Field on August 27, 2013. The Braves won 2-0.

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves will extend their spring training agreement with ESPN and Walt Disney Resort through April 2019. The decision was made to make sure there is enough time to complete their new facility in West Villages in the city of North Port, Sarasota County.

The Braves will play their final 2019 spring training home game in the new ballpark. The ballpark is scheduled to open in April 2019, with the team’s Florida operations expected to move in at that time.

TRENDING STORIES:

“We are thankful for our good friends at Walt Disney World Resort and are excited for this extension,” said John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves vice chairman emeritus. “We also appreciate the foresight and thoughtfulness of our partners in North Port, Sarasota County and West Villages in recognizing such an extension will be of benefit as we continue to make progress on our new facility. When complete, our new, state-of-the-art facility will secure our long-term goal of creating a perfectly positioned and operational spring training facility for the next 30 years.”

Spring training for the Braves has been held at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, since 1998.

When the new ballpark in North Port is finished, it will feature 6,500 fixed seats and 2,500 additional general admission, including berm and concourse. It will also include six and half practice fields, 55,000 square feet of clubhouse and fitness center for the Braves along with multi-purpose fields and public space that can be used for special events by the city and county.

The complex will operate year-round with extended spring training for minor league teams, the Gulf Coast League and Fall Instructional League.