Fans going to Turner Field for the Braves’ home opener Friday night won’t find much new on the field, thanks to the team’s stand-pat winter. Off the field, however, the new season brings a lineup of changes.
Among them: day-to-day swings in ticket prices, the option of paperless ticketing, a trade of “Tooner Field” for “Taco Mac Family Zone,” another upscale club area and a concession stand selling an acclaimed chef’s steak sandwich.
Here’s a rundown on what’s new at Turner Field this season:
Price points
The Braves have made ticket-pricing a whole new ballgame.
Each seat will have six different prices, depending on the game. Each game is classified as “A” (most expensive), “B,” “C”, “D,” “E” or “F” (least expensive); as an example, the dugout-level seat that costs $85 for an “A” game costs $75 for a “C” game and $60 for an “F” game. Generally, June-July-August games cost more than April-May-September games, and weekend games cost more than weeknight games.
“What we are trying to do is reflect the accurate value inherent in each game,” said Derek Schiller, the Braves’ executive vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s common wisdom that opening day [an ‘A’ game] is worth more than a mid-week game in May [an ‘F’ game]. In the past, we have priced those close to the same; now, we have created a much wider spread to reflect the value difference between the two.”
In addition, about 8,000 outfield seats will fluctuate even more. Prices on those seats will be adjusted up or down based on demand in the weeks, days and even hours before a particular game — similar to the system used on airline tickets.
(More details: braves.com/pricing)
Paperless tickets
The team debuts a program called “Braves FanPass,” which offers online ticket buyers the option of “loading” their tickets onto a credit card and entering the stadium from any gate by having the card swiped rather than presenting a printed ticket.
The Braves expect at least 25 percent of tickets to be paperless this season and a higher percentage in future years, Schiller said. He said fans with paperless tickets they can’t use will be able to forward them to others at no charge.
(More details: braves.com/fanpass)
New in plaza
One of the more noticeable changes is that Tooner Field, the Cartoon Network-themed kids entertainment area that was a prominent part of Turner Field’s fan plaza for the past seven seasons, has been replaced by Taco Mac Family Zone.
The Braves’ deal with Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network expired, and a new deal was struck with Atlanta-based restaurant chain Taco Mac. The 80-foot mural wall that defined Tooner Field has been removed.
The interactive area remains geared toward families with kids and has been “refreshed with a new range of activities,” including an “updated” tree house and video-game stations, Schiller said. The area also features Coca-Cola’s “Freestyle” fountain machine, which dispenses 100-plus beverages in flavor combinations of the user’s choosing. This is the first time the machine has been installed in an MLB stadium.
New on club level
The Braves added another premium, pricey place to watch a game: an 80-seat club to the right of the press box. Built in an area that previously contained two suites and 305 seats, the air-conditioned club has seats configured in groups of two or four around semicircular tables.
Tables, which the Braves say are sold out, ranged from $15,400 (two seats) to $29,200 (four seats) per season. That includes a TV monitor at each table, in-seat wait service, valet parking and a $30 food-and-beverage credit per game per seat. The club has a title sponsor, Georgia’s Own Credit Union.
New to eat
Kevin Rathbun Steak, a concession stand by Section 203, will serve the acclaimed Atlanta chef/restaurateur’s sirloin steak sandwich ($15 with chips).
And in the fan plaza, Braves Brick Oven Pizzeria will cook pizza the old-fashioned way ($8 per slice).
What else is new?
- An LED board, the Gas South Strikeout Board, has been installed beyond the outfield to feature pitcher statistics.
- Season-ticket packages of 20-plus games include, for the first time, a 33-percent discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages at the fixed concessions stands.
- Souvenir stands will sell — and the Braves will wear for Saturday and Sunday home games — "throwback" cream-colored uniforms, closely resembling those worn during the team's first two seasons in Atlanta in 1966-67. The jerseys feature the player number, rather than a tomahawk, beneath the "Braves" script on the front.
