Photo of Globe Life Park in Arlington taken from the upper level during a Texas Rangers game.

Image Credit: Redlegsfan21/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Globe Life Field, future home of the Texas Rangers, is scheduled to open on Opening Day in 2020. According to the Texas Rangers organization, Globe Life Field will be more intimate for Texas Rangers fans than Globe Life Park in Arlington, the team’s current ballpark. Globe Life Field is currently being constructed on the same property as Globe Life Park and will be built alongside a mixed-use development. The mixed-use development will be similar to The Battery Atlanta outside of SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves and will feature bars, restaurants, shopping, and office space.

Globe Life Field will include the following features.

  • A retractable roof that protects fans from the summer heat.
  • The seats and main concourse will be located closer to the field than at Globe Life Park.
  • A smaller seating capacity with 40,000 - 41,000 seats.
  • A more vertical design that will improve sightlines for fans.
  • Fewer seats with an obstructed view of the field.

Installation of the retractable roof will take an estimated 14 months to complete. In fact, the roof is the primary reason Globe Life Field is being constructed in the first place. Games at Globe Life Park are just too hot during the summer. The Texas Rangers will be able to generate more revenue at the box office with a more comfortable environment for fans. There is some speculation that a more comfortable playing environment could also help the Texas Rangers land more free agents in the future.

The Texas Rangers front office emphasized the need for the ballpark to appear bright even when the roof is closed as opposed to the darkness at other stadiums with a retractable roof. Such stadiums include Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers) and Marlins Park (Miami Marlins). Glass façade will be heavily utilized in Globe Life Field’s design and will allow for a lot of natural sunlight to flow into the stadium during games. Nevertheless, some Arlington officials were critical of the Globe Life Field design after seeing its renderings.

 

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