Dawgs Return in 2007 in Brand New “DAWG POUND

The Calgary Dawgs Baseball Club announced at a press conference at McMahon Stadium on Tuesday that the Club will return in the spring of 2007 as the “Okotoks Dawgs” in new, state of the art, facility to be known as Seaman Stadium and Field House.

The new “DAWG POUND” will be built in the Town of Okotoks, Alberta, a booming community just 15 kilometres south of the City. The Dawgs had successfully operated the past 3 years as a summer collegiate program capturing the championship of the Western Major Baseball League in 2004 before almost 4000 fans, the largest baseball crowd in Calgary since the early hey day of the Triple A, Calgary Cannons of the Pacific Coast League. The club had played out of Foothills Stadium in Calgary since 2002 however irresolvable disputes over field time with the struggling Vipers of the independent Northern League forced the Dawgs to suspend operations for the 2006 season.

However, at the recent press conference the Dawgs enthusiastically announced that they will be back and better than ever, in what they believe will be the premier facility for amateur baseball in the country. The Dawgs also unveiled renderings of the Stadium completed by the architectural firm of Elliott Workgroup Architects based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Craig Elliott of that firm was responsible for the design of both Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake as well as Orem Stadium, the home of the Orem Angels, Single A affiliate of the LAA of Anaheim. The renderings illustrated an exceptional, state of the art facility complete with an adjacent year round training centre, concessions, clubhouses, press box, hospitality suites, permanent seating for 2000 fans, additional berm seating and a family barbeque area bringing the total capacity to in excess of 4500 fans.

The Stadium is the result of a partnership between the private and public sector with the lands being donated by Nexen Inc., an senior oil and gas company with its head offices in Calgary, capital costs for the Stadium being dedicated by the Dawgs with the support of the Seaman Family and infrastructure costs being contributed by the Town of Okotoks.

Having regard to the extraordinary contribution of the Seaman Family the Stadium and facility will be known as “Seaman Stadium and Field House” in Okotoks; Alberta. The Seaman brothers were the principals of the Bow Valley Group of Companies, currently sit on the board of numerous Canadian and international companies and are involved in numerous philanthropic causes in the province. Doc and BJ are part owners of the Calgary Flames and Donald is a long time supporter of the Dawgs baseball program.

The Dawgs announced that the vision for the Stadium includes providing a home for all of:

1. the Okotoks Dawgs Summer Collegiate Club;
2. a high performance youth development program to be known as the “Okotoks J Dawgs”;
3. provincial, national and even international showcases and tournaments; and
4. minor and youth baseball programs in the surrounding area.

With this extraordinary new facility, the Dawgs are committed to repeating the successes the program enjoyed as a elite youth development program dating back to 1995. With professional coaching, top competition from premier programs on both sides of the border and year round baseball training, the Dawgs graduated numerous players to the college ranks, several enjoying success at the NCAA, Division 1 level, to Canada’s Junior National Team program and there is a long list of players who once wore a Dawgs’ uniform having been selected in the amateur draft of Major League Baseball.

The Dawgs announced that Head Coach of Seaman Stadium and Field House will be David Robb. Coach Robb is widely considered one of the top coaches in Canada having coached successfully at the collegiate, international and professional levels. Collegiately, Coach Robb took Mesa, Arizona Community College to a JUCO World Series and managed the Dawgs to the 2004 WMBL Championship earning “Coach of the Year” honours. Internationally, Coach Robb has coached with both the Junior and Senior Canadian National Teams. Professionally Coach Robb has coached in the Italian Professional League as well as with the Visalia Oaks, High A affiliate of the Oakland As.

As Greg Hamilton, Coach of Canada’s Junior and Senior National Teams and Director of Baseball Canada, echoed:

“To have a facility of this quality dedicated to amateur baseball and youth development is absolutely outstanding... This is great news for baseball in Canada.”

Bottom line: look for the Dawgs to be back in a state of the art facility, Seaman Stadium and Field House” in Okotoks, Alberta in the spring of 2007.