BY DAN GLICKMAN
The home of the Rochester Red Wings has a new name: ESL Ballpark.
The team joined Monroe County leaders and ESL President & CEO Faheem Masood on Tuesday to make the announcement that ESL Federal Credit Union had acquired the naming rights for the field. The deal, which will begin at $550,000 this season before increasing by 2% each season, is initially for 10 seasons but can be extended by five years up to four times, potentially extending the deal to a total of 30 years.
This will be the third name the stadium has had – it originally opened as Frontier Field in 1997 before becoming Innovative Field in 2023.
The change from “Field” to “Ballpark” isn’t a coincidence.
“We talked about it a lot,” said Rochester Community Baseball President & CEO Naomi Silver. “We went around with all of the names. I think we agreed with the ESL people that this would be a a feeling that you get when you hear the name of the ballpark, of ESL Ballpark. It has a nice flow and a sentiment that you want.”
ESL has been associated with the Red Wings since the early 1990s, sponsoring events like fireworks shows, and they will continue to do so.
“This is not the start of a new relationship, but a next chapter in one that began more than 30 years ago,” said Masood. “Since the early 1990s, ESL has stood beside the Rochester Red Wings as a supporter, a partner, and a believer in the excitement that happens in this ballpark each summer. Our partnership is rooted in shared values that go deeper than baseball.”
Silver hopes that the new agreement will provide stability after the stadium held its last name for only a few seasons.
“Having a long-term partner is meaningful,” she said. “This is what you want ingrained in your daily lexicon. This is something we’re going to be talking about — going to ESL Ballpark. It becomes part of your language, and we want our kids to be able to recall the days where they to ESL Ballpark. It’s very meaningful.”
“We all know when that we struggle when stadiums are renamed,” she added. “We all take awhile to get used to it. I think that once we’ve gotten used to something that feels right, you want to stay with it. The fact that ESL is willing to stick with us over the long term is very meaningful to us.”
At the time of the announcement, the agreement — which is contingent on the Red Wings remaining a AAA team — was not yet officially ratified by the Monroe County Legislature, although it was later officially approved by a 27-1 vote.
With the deal approved, the Red Wings will begin working to change signage at the stadium. They’ll have to hurry: Opening Day is March 31.
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