top of page
Writer's pictureBen Rekosh

Flying Squirrels lead league in attendance for third straight season

Updated: Oct 14, 2024

By Ben Rekosh


Photo from the top of The Diamond, home of MiLB's Flying Squirrels in Richmond, VA
Spectators pack The Diamond on Sept. 6. Photo by Ben Rekosh

RICHMOND, Va. -- Despite bolstering a poor 64-74 record on the field, the Richmond Flying Squirrels led all of Double-A baseball in attendance for the third consecutive season.


Richmond’s premiere professional sports franchise averaged 6,595 attendees over 69 home games in the 2024 season, according to the team’s website. The total of 435,295 attendees is the highest mark for the Flying Squirrels since 2013.


Additionally, two of the consistently biggest dates on the schedule, the Fourth of July and opening night, were sold out this season, Director of Ticketing Garrett Erwin said. The Diamond, the nearly 40-year-old venue that is home to the Flying Squirrels, seats 9,560 people.


These achievements - leading Double-A baseball and the Eastern League in attendance - are a strong point of pride for the organization, Erwin said; it is a goal to reach these numbers, but they are constantly striving to go beyond what they believe is possible.


Baseball is, always has been, and will continue to be a staple of the Richmond community and its history. That is shown in the commitment that the fan base provides year-after-year, chief marketing officer, Anthony Oppermann said.


Oppermann and Erwin both attribute a lot of their success with community engagement to the promotional staff. Being a baseball fan is sometimes an added bonus to the events held at The Diamond, Oppermann said. The team’s 2024 promotional schedule included 25 fireworks shows, charity nights, music nights, family nights, food nights and more, according to a press release from February.


“We sell the experience, we sell coming out to the ballpark and having a good time, you know, the memories that you make when you're at the ballpark, I mean that's what we're all about,” Oppermann said.


As for next year, Oppermann hopes to shatter records in the franchise’s 15th season and the overall 40th anniversary of The Diamond.


The Flying Squirrels recently unveiled the renderings of its brand new site, Carmax Park, being built on the lot behind the current stadium and is set to open in spring 2026.


Carmax Park is a major step for baseball in Richmond, as the threat of the organization being forced to leave the city was increasingly imminent, according to a report from Axios’s Ned Oliver.


The all-new site is set to have roughly the same capacity as The Diamond, but will offer a more expansive variety of experiences to a wide number of guests, not just baseball fans. Suites, family areas, kid zones and concert areas are all spaces that have been discussed, Erwin said.


The Squirrels have always been a home for all members of the diverse Richmond community, director of entertainment, Caroline Phipps Erwin said. There is something for people of all ages and interests at a Flying Squirrels game, and that is set to continue in the future with Carmax Park.


The anticipation of this new venue was palpable throughout Richmond baseball circles, with possible discussions of the franchise relocating given the putrid state of The Diamond relative to the state of minor league baseball facilities, according to Axios. Oppermann, who has been with the organization since 2010 – described the feeling of finally breaking ground as surreal. He said the excitement for Carmax Park is contagious.


“We really can't imagine Richmond without the Flying Squirrels and [team mascot] Nutsy, and it just feels such a part of life in this community,” Oppermann said.

6 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page