The first baseball game played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, was in August 1910. On June 20, it hosted the first regular-season MLB game in the state between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rickwood Field was home to the Birmingham Barons and was the first minor league ballpark made from concrete and steel. It also became home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Baseball legends including Babe Ruth, Harold “Pie” Traynor, Rogers Hornsby, George “Mule” Suttles, Leroy “Satchel” Paige, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Yogi Berra, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays have all played on this field.
With almost continuous use for more than 100 years, the space needed some TLC and BrightView was up to the challenge. This renovation project included installing new dugouts, foul poles, an outfield fence and padding as well as completely replacing and the existing turf and infield dirt.
Murray Cook, president of BrightView’s sports turf division, oversaw the overhaul of the field, which included bringing in 6,000 tons of sand, clay and warning track material for the infield and warning tracks. BrightView also installed 120,000 square feet of a new Bermuda turfgrass, Tahoma31, in the infield and outfield. Temporary field lighting was added as well.
“In all my years of working these events, I’ve had the privilege of building and reconstructing some unique and amazing ballfields all around the world, but the history surrounding Rickwood Field makes this project extra special,” Cook says. “Baseball legends of both the Negro Leagues and MLB stood at home plate, and this game and overall environment will certainly be a great tribute to them.”
BrightView began working on the field in October 2023. Special care was taken to preserve Rickwood’s history, including the outfield fence that features vintage advertising and the iconic scoreboard replicating the one from 1948.
“We had to be mindful of the existing, historical features of this field and stadium,” Cook says. “The outfield walls, for example, had to be padded for player protection, but our partners Populous and BaAm Productions were still able to keep the old signs intact through some unique branding methods. We did have to make some adjustments to the positioning of the field, which involved moving home plate back 10 feet and shifting the angle counterclockwise.”
While renovating the space, BrightView’s crews excavated 100 years of chalk from both foul lines, which had solidified into a 10-inch-thick mass. A total of 5,000 tons of material from the original field was removed.
After the makeover, BrigthView was also responsible for maintaining the playing surface for the games played there this week, including the minor league game, celebrity softball game and the MLB game.
The grounds crew for the week consisted of eight BrightView team members, 24 locals volunteering as tarp crew, three members of the Friends of Rickwood grounds crew, and three local MiLB grounds crew from the Birmingham Barons and Rocket City Trash Pandas.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the exceptional work our team has accomplished at historic Rickwood Field for MLB’s tribute game to the Negro Leagues,” says Dale Asplund, BrightView president and CEO. “Murray Cook and our sports turf team have once again demonstrated their unparalleled dedication and craftsmanship by transforming Rickwood’s playing surface into a stunning and immaculate ballfield, ensuring what is to be a fantastic experience for players and fans alike.”
As the official field consultant, BrightView has also partnered with MLB on other special events like the London Series, which was played at West Ham United’s soccer arena, the Mexico Series at the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú field and the Field of Dreams game.
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