New Swarm in Town

Official Review by Paul Derrick, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

Back in 2008, the city of Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston, voted for the allocation of revenue toward the construction of a new baseball park. In 2012 those fruits finally came to labor as beautiful Constellation Field was opened. Constellation Field is home to the new Independent Atlantic League Sugar Land Skeeters and has the capacity to hold 7,500 fans. It is the first independent league baseball team in the greater Houston area since the Houston Buffaloes in 1961. Constellation Field is an absolute thing of beauty as it not only has one of the largest scoreboards in minor league baseball, but the scoreboard is also in the interesting shape of the state of Texas. The Skeeters have put together a rare gem of a ballpark, and they have opened with a great fan following. The team has sold out every game as of the date of this review (May 18, 2012).

Food & Beverage    4

The Sugar Land Skeeters offer a great variety of food and beverage options from the Walking Taco to a grilled chicken sandwich with roasted garlic aioli. The options are seemingly endless at Constellation Field and not only that but most options are reasonably priced.

Some other options offered at Constellation Field include jalapeno & cheddar sausage, nachos, chicken fried steak, and a variety of different burger and hot dog options. Sodas can be had for either $3.75 for a large or $5 for a souvenir edition cup.

If you are looking for some alcoholic preferences those can be had for $6.50 for a domestic or $7.25 for an import and can be had at a variety of stands or at the great Bud Light Bar positioned behind the center field wall.

Atmosphere    4

The atmosphere on a new ballpark is always tough to read, especially since Constellation Field has been sold out since the day it opened. However, Sugar Land really has itself a gem of a ballpark, from the Bud Light Bar in the outfield to the swimming pool and kid's playground, the Skeeters offer the entire family a great night of fun. For the actual baseball fan you will love the look of the park which offers wide concourses and new and old technology such as the big Texas shaped scoreboard to the great manual scoreboard set up in left field. The Sugar Land Skeeters have definitely put together a ballpark that will keep fans coming back for a long time.

Neighborhood    3

The neighborhood side is where the ballpark kind of lacks. The area around the ballpark in Sugar Land is still being built up, so it does lack anything within immediate walking distance. Sugar Land has always been largely known as being the "fittest city in Texas" as well as one of the top 100 cities in the United States to live.

Sugar Land still has a variety of great places to eat and one of my favorites is the Ragin Cajun which offers a multitude of different seafood at great prices. They offer some of the biggest and best crawfish in the spring and summer and they have some of the best po boys in the area as well.

Another one of my other favorites in the Sugar Land area is Brookstreet BBQ which offers a great selection of meat plates as well as tasty BBQ sandwiches. If you are looking for a taste of BBQ at a great price, then I would definitely recommend making a stop at Brookstreet.

Fans    4

Sugar Land has sold out every home game they have had thus far (through May 18, 2012) which is great for the team and community. For fans in Fort Bend County it is a great cheaper alternative to driving downtown and watching a Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park. The fans that are in attendance are engaged and are pretty loud throughout the game, cheering when the Skeeters score and letting the umpire know when they think he blew a call. I just hope that as time progresses the fans continue to fill Constellation Field and make their presence know.

Access    4

Access to the stadium is pretty good if you know where you are going. Parking is free if you don't mind a little walk to the stadium and parking in a dirt lot. The concourses are the perfect size for making your way around the field and checking out the different sites to see. I found the bathrooms to be plentiful and never saw a line during the game despite the capacity crowd.

Return on Investment    5

Tickets are hard to come by for Constellation Field but if you get one online you can sit in the outfield lawn for $8 or sit in a reserved seat for $12, which is a definite steal for this type of stadium. Kids 3 and under are allowed in for free and add all that in with free parking and you will see just why Constellation Field has been sold out since day one.

Extras    5

I will always give an extra point to any ballpark or stadium that offers free parking. In today's sports world it is definitely the little things that count.

My second extra point goes for the awesome one-of-a-kind Texas shaped scoreboard, it is a definite must see.

My third point goes to the friendliness of the Skeeters staff. Every employee around the ballpark was all smiles and had nothing but great things to say about the team and the ballpark.

My fourth point goes to the fans who have continued to fill Constellation Field since day one. They have asked for a ballpark in Fort Bend County for years and now that it is here it seems as if they will do anything to keep it here.

My last and final point goes to the Skeeter mascots Swatson & Moe who do a great job making their way through the crowd and keeping not only the kids entertained but also the adult fans.