Daejeon baseball fans’ long-awaited new baseball field has finally opened its first shovel. It will open in March 2025 with the concept of a baseball field that has never been seen before.
On the 22nd, Daejeon City held a groundbreaking ceremony for ‘Baseball Dream Park’ at the baseball field construction site in Busa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon. Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, KBO President Heo Gu-yeon, Hanwha Eagles CEO Park Chan-hyeok, manager Carlos Subero, and 10 players (Jung Woo-ram, Jang Si-hwan, Lee Tae-yang, Jang Min-jae, Moon Dong-ju, Chae Eun-seong, Choi Jae-hoon, Oh Seon-jin, Jeong Eun-won, Noh Si-hwan), permanently retired legends Four guests (Chang Jong-hoon, Song Jin-woo, Jeong Min-cheol, Kim Tae-gyun) and about 1,000 citizens attended and celebrated the first shovel of the new Daejeon baseball field.
Daejeon Baseball Dream Park began in earnest with the establishment of a basic plan in July 2019 as a key pledge project of the 7th public election. After signing an investment agreement with Hanwha in December 2019, administrative procedures such as feasibility study and central investment review were completed in 2020. With a total project cost of KRW 161.7 billion, it will be built with two floors below the ground and four above, with a total area of 58,594 square meters and a capacity of 20,607 seats.
Design and foundation construction were carried out at the same time from January of last year, and after the demolition of the Hanbat Sports Complex, the site of the stadium, was completed, the main construction began in January of last year. By actively reflecting the various ideas of the Hanwha club’s planning team, which analyzed the characteristics of various stadiums at home and abroad, in the design, it is foreshadowing the birth of a baseball stadium with a different dimension that has not been seen in Korea.
Looking at each floor, the first basement floor is for management and support facilities, and the second floor is for the athletes, including locker rooms, indoor practice areas, coaches’ rooms, and players’ cafeteria. The 1st to 4th floors are spectator seats, ticket office, archives, rest area (1st floor), broadcasting relay and business facilities (2nd floor), skybox (3rd floor), the world’s first infinity pool in a baseball stadium, artificial surfing zone, caravan zone (4 floors) It is composed of a variety of unique convenience facilities such as
For the first time in an Asian baseball stadium, a ‘double-layer bullpen’ was introduced, where you can see at a glance the warming-up of home and away team pitchers. The distance from the home to the outfield is 99m on the left, 122m in the center, and 95m on the right. We pursued diversification not only in fence distance but also in height. As Korea’s first five-sided fence, an 8m monster wall on the right side and a 2.4m fence capable of super catches are placed in each area, so various situations are expected.
KBO President Heo Gu-yeon, who visited the groundbreaking ceremony that day, said, “Including the minor leagues, I have seen more than 100 baseball stadiums around the world, but there are few places that can be built while looking at the mountain (Bomunsan) like this. In the meantime, I have consulted a lot about baseball fields, but it is important how to design and what concept to go with. Daejeon is going with a completely different concept from the existing baseball stadium. Expectations are high because it is a baseball stadium with the concept of a park, a space where not only baseball is played, but also citizens can enjoy together. I look forward to the appearance of a luxury baseball field.”
Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo said, “We changed the design so that not only baseball but also cultural performances can be held. We will make it a baseball field of a new concept that can be with citizens,” he said. “We will preserve the existing baseball field without tearing it down. Daejeon’s baseball club players as well as children’s Little Dome are also being planned. I will make Daejeon a special baseball city in name and reality.”
After taking office in July of last year, Baseball Dream Park also promoted a design change to a dome stadium, but Mayor Lee Jang-woo, who went as planned due to realistic conditions, is planning to build the world’s first Little Dome Stadium at the suggestion of Park Chan-ho, Korea’s first major league player. President Huh also expected, “If a Little Dome Stadium is built for children, it will be the only one in the world.”
The Hanwha club will also continue to cooperate with Daejeon City so that various ideas for the construction of the Baseball Dream Park can be promoted as planned. CEO Park Chan-hyuk said, “It seems that the timing of our club’s build-up process and the relocation to the new soccer field are well matched. Through the new soccer field, we will create our own cultural elements that cannot be enjoyed by Daejeon citizens in other cities. We will continue to develop various entertainment and business models such as infinity pools and screen golf so that Baseball Dream Park can become a cultural space for Daejeon citizens 365 days a year and a landmark in Daejeon.”
Players also have high expectations for the new stadium. Hanwha captain Jung Woo-ram, who visited the groundbreaking ceremony, said, 먹튀검증 “I have high expectations that the new baseball field will create a good environment for the players as well as fans’ viewing convenience.” Legend Kim Tae-gyun also said, “I am really happy to think that a new baseball field is finally being built in Daejeon. Looking forward to opening in 2025, he said, “When I think of our Hanwha juniors who will be strong there, it feels overwhelming.”