Surf Stadium: Past, Present and Future
By Steffen Klenk
There is nothing more exciting than a game of baseball, especially in the summertime. As a kid, my mom would take me to as many games as she could, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The smell of the concessions, baseballs being tossed around, and a backdrop of the Atlantic City skyline made any evening perfect. Surf Stadium was the place to see professional baseball in South Jersey.
For a bit of history, Atlantic City’s first professional team was formed in 1916. The Bacharach Giants moved from Jacksonville, Florida, and had over 13 years of success in Atlantic City. The team produced star players such as Dick Redding, Oliver Marcelle and Dick Lundy.
In 1991, Atlantic City Mayor Jim Whelan announced his plan to bring baseball back to Atlantic City. That vision became a reality five years later when the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and City Council approved $15 million in funding for a new stadium. Construction broke ground shortly thereafter, and on May 20, 1998, Surf Stadium, known then as The Sandcastle, opened to the public. Their first home game took place against the Somerset Patriots.
The seating sections were originally named after streets Atlantic City, a take on the famous Monopoly board. They were replaced by numbers a short time later.
The Atlantic City Surf saw much success during their inaugural season. They hosted the Atlantic League All-Star Game to a winning effort and took home the League Championship, defeating the Bridgeport Bluefish three games to one. Playing in the Atlantic League, the team went up against successful teams in Somerset, Bridgeport, Newark, and Nashua.
The team also had a mascot named Splash. Within the first two years of the Sandcastle’s opening, more than a million fans packed the stadium.
In 2001, former Phillies pitcher and Major League All-Star Mitch Williams came out of retirement and joined the Surf roster. He would play a total of seven games that season, before becoming the team’s pitching coach. Cecil Fielder, former Yankee and three time All-Star, was named General Manager for the Surf in 2007.
Aside from baseball, Surf Stadium has hosted various concerts and shows, all-day festivals and celebrity boxing matches.
Attendance remained steady in its final years, but was unable to maintain financially. On March 30, 2009, management announced that the Surf would cease operations immediately.
In recent years, the stadium has become the home facilities for Atlantic Cape Community College baseball.
There is an ongoing effort to revitalize Surf Stadium and bring professional baseball back to Atlantic City. Frank Bolton, the former owner of the Surf baseball team, has received approval from City Council to lead the search for a possible team. If the endeavor is successful, a new team could begin playing as early as next year.
