David E. Hastings Stadium - Guelph Royals
- Dave Cottenie
- Aug 8
- 5 min read
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14
David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park 70 Division St Guelph, ON N1H 2B7
Year Opened: 1925
Capacity: 2,500
Royal City Baseball
The team that would become the Guelph Royals first took the field in 1861 as the Guelph Maple Leafs and trace their ownership back to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member George Sleeman. Sleeman also founded Silver Creek Brewery, which was reincorporated by his grandson to become Sleeman Brewery, an iconic cornerstone in Guelph. In 1919 the team joined the Intercounty Baseball League, which became fully professional in 2026 as the Canadian Baseball League. The Maple Leafs won the first three Intercounty Championships in 1919, 1920 and 1921. The team would become the Guelph Royals in 1965, a moniker that is found throughout Guelph Minor Baseball. Guelph is known locally as the Royal City as when it was founded by John Galt, it was named after the House of Guelph, the family name of the British Royal Family and King George IV. With the move to the Canadian Baseball League and professional baseball in 2026, majority owner Shawn Fuller sold 80% of the team and is now a member of the Guelph Professional Baseball Inc. ownership group.
In 1925, Guelph moved to their current home, David E. Hastings Stadium. Located in Exhibition Park, Hastings Stadium has been renovated a number of times and is named after local baseball legend, David Hastings who played a number of years in the IBL and was the Mayor of Guelph from 1958 to 1960.
Food & Beverage 3
The Guelph Royals offer a limited selection of concession items. Hot dogs, sausage, and burgers are available with popcorn, nachos, chips, beer nuts and chocolate available as snacks. A few combo options are offered. Water, Gatorade, juice and Iced tea with bottled Coca-Cola products are the beverage options.
Atmosphere 3
Hastings Stadium is located in Exhibition Park. It is fairly typical of Canadian Baseball League facilities that at no point hosted affiliated Minor League Baseball. The baseball grounds are very wide open and spacious, enclosed by a fence on the other side of the nearby hockey arena on the park grounds. The centerpiece of the stadium is the main grandstand which houses the pressbox and maintenance sheds as well as the seating area. The exterior of the grandstand is covered by corrugated aluminum siding pretty much everywhere similar to that which one might put on their home shed. Team logos and recognition of the championship teams in Guelph (1919, 1920, 1921, 1932, 1970, 1993, 1997, 2003 and 2004) are displayed prominently on the backside of the grandstand exterior. Bleachers and chairbacks are both available in the grandstand, which has a capacity of 1,400.
The surrounding area of the ballpark features some massive mature trees and there are plenty of opportunities to watch the game from various perspectives. Picnic tables are available and there is plenty of space for fans who wish to bring their own chairs. A classic baseball scoreboard can be found beyond the right centerfield fence. The outfield does have a couple of unique features. The dimensions are symmetrical with 325’ down each of the lines and 369’ to straight away centrefield. However, rather than a curved outfield fence, the centrefield fence is a straight line that meets the right and left field walls at 393’. The outfield fence is also an attractive, yet very unique wooden style. A ball hit off the wall gives an audible, unique thud that will make fans smile.
The gameday production in Guelph is very simple. The focus is on the game itself and there are not a ton of bells and whistles and promos to distract the patrons. Basically the only promo is the 50/50 sale. The sightlines in the park are excellent and the atmosphere is simple and family and community focused.
Neighbourhood 3
David Hastings Stadium is part of Exhibition Park, which is located in the Exhibition Park neighbourhood of Guelph. The park also has other ballparks, walking/running trails, tennis courts and soccer and football fields. The rest of the neighbourhood is fairly residential, but a short drive will bring fans to some spots for pre and postgame libations. Polestar Hearth, Fixed Gear Brewery, Baker Street Station and Park Eatery are good choices.
Guelph does offer a number of different sporting options. The Guelph Storm of the OHL plays downtown in the Sleeman Centre. The University of Guelph also fields a whole host of athletic teams. The football Gryphons play at Alumni Field, the hockey Gryphons play at the Gryphon Centre Arena and the basketball Gryphons play at the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre. If possible, fans should consider trying to catch the annual Frosty Mug game at the Sleeman Centre.
Heading east to Downtown Guelph will offer some other tourist things to do including Guelph Civic Museum, McCrae House and whatever is playing at the River Run Centre.
Heading out about 5 km to Woodlawn Road will offer fans the best opportunity to find a place to stay in Guelph. The Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn can be found there.
Fans 3
Fans are difficult to assess in the Canadian Baseball League as attendance figures are not published. The eye test shows that the Guelph Royals have a decent following of a couple hundred fans per game. Not terribly loud, Royals fans are supportive and are not afraid to get after the umpire.
Access 4
David Hastings Stadium is located in Exhibition Park, which is located in the Exhibition Park neighbourhood of Guelph. Exhibition Park is west of Downtown Guelph and not terribly difficult to get to. The stadium is found at the southern corner of Division and Exhibition Streets. The park is west of Highway 6 by a couple of blocks, so a little driving through the city will be necessary. The stadium is at the north end of the park and there is plenty of free parking nearby. Patrons should be conscious of not parking too close to the stadium for fear of their car getting plunked by a foul ball. For fans who wish to take public transit, there are buses available on London, Westmount and Woolwich Roads which will require a small walk to the stadium. Fans interested in public transit should check out the Guelph Transit website for fares, maps and schedules.
The accessibility of the stadium is pretty good. Although there are stairs to get into the grandstand, there are plenty of areas where fans with mobility issues can watch from. There are washrooms accessible from the outside in the nearby hockey arena which provide enough service for the crowd at hand. Fans are able to use washroom facilities in the adjacent hockey arena or portable toilets on site.
Return on Investment 4
Guelph Royals tickets are available online for $17. Tickets at the door will actually cost less at $15 and cash or card are accepted. Concession prices are decent and parking in Exhibition Park is free. The product on the field is decent and fans will have a good time in a pretty laid back environment.
Extras 2
An extra mark for the longevity of the Guelph Royals having been around for over 100 years and being a founding member of the Canadian Baseball League.
An extra mark for the Royals winning the very first CBL championship in 1919 (as well as the next two).
Final Thoughts
With the transition to the fully professional Canadian Baseball League, time will tell how this affects the league members. It seems as though the Guelph Royals are continuing as a strong member of the league that offers a good environment for baseball at Hastings Stadium and a good experience for fans.
