Joker Marchant Stadium
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and Gulf Coast Tigers.
Joker Marchant Stadium was the one of several host venues for the 1974 Amateur World Series, the first and only edition of the tournament to be held in the United States.
On March 15, 2011, the largest crowd in the stadium's history watched a spring training game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox.
Expansions
The stadium could seat 4,900 people when it opened in 1966. In 1988, a bleacher section was added down the left field line, increasing seating capacity to 7,027. In 2002, Joker Marchant Stadium was renovated. The State of Florida's $4.5 million grant was the biggest chunk of the financing, while the Polk County Tourist Development Council chipped in $2 million. The remainder of the renovation's cost was paid for by the Tigers and City of Lakeland, increasing capacity to its present 8,500.In October 2014, the Lakeland City Commission announced part of a new agreement with the Detroit Tigers included the start of a $37 million renovation and upgrade of the 50-year-old stadium, starting in April 2016 after Major League Baseball Spring Training. Funding provided in part by the Detroit Tigers, the City of Lakeland and Polk County. Two construction firms – Barton Malow of Southfield, Michigan, and Rodda Construction of Lakeland – were chosen by the City Commission to oversee the project. The Lakeland Flying Tigers – the Detroit Tigers' High Class 'A' Minor League club at the time – played their Florida State League season at Henley Field, away.