A recent deal between the Victoria HarbourCats and the capital city could see the baseball club stay at their Royal Athletic Park home until the 2030s.
A licence agreement allowing the team to extend its tenure at the park was approved by Victoria council on May 19. The closed meeting vote was made public in the city’s Sept. 6 council agenda.
The deal will allow the HarbourCats to use the park for at least five years, with an option to renew for an additional three years.
The HarbourCats play at the Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park and have competed in the West Coast League since 2013. Almost 70,000 fans took in games at the park this summer, when the HarbourCats went 26-28 in the regular season before being knocked out in the first round of playoffs by the top-seeded Bellingham Bells.
It was also the first summer back for Cats baseball at the park after the pandemic cancelled two straight seasons for the local club.
A notable alumni of the team is Nick Pivetta, a Victoria-born pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who’s played in 152 major league contests throughout his career.
Royal Athletic Park has been used as a playing field since the early 1900s, according to the city. In 1925, the city purchased the land from private owners and in 1967 the park underwent a major restoration after a large fire.
READ: Victoria HarbourCats season comes to a close after first-round playoff exit
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