Tropicana Field
The Trop | |
Tropicana Field in 2022 | |
Location in Florida Location in the United States | |
| Former names | Florida Suncoast Dome (1990–1993) ThunderDome (1993–1996) |
|---|---|
| Address | One Tropicana Drive |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 27°46′6″N 82°39′12″W / 27.76833°N 82.65333°W |
| Public transit | 16th Street & 1st Avenue S |
| Owner | City of St. Petersburg |
| Operator | Tampa Bay Rays Ltd. |
| Capacity | 45,369 (1998) 44,027 (1999) 44,445 (2000–2001) 43,772 (2002–2006) 38,437 (2007) 36,048 (2008) 36,973 (2009–2010) 34,078 (2011–2013) 31,042 (2014–2018) 25,025 (2019–present) |
| Record attendance | 48,044 (WWE Royal Rumble 2024) |
| Field size | Left Field – 315 ft (96 m) Left-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Center Field – 404 ft (123 m) Right-Center – 370 ft (110 m) Right Field – 322 ft (98 m) Backstop – 50 ft (15 m) |
| Surface | AstroTurf (1998–1999) FieldTurf (2000–2010) AstroTurf GameDay Grass (2011–2017) Shaw Sports Turf (2017–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 22, 1986 |
| Opened | March 3, 1990 |
| Renovated | 2014 |
| Construction cost | US$130 million ($313 million in 2024 dollars) |
| Architect | HOK Sport (Kansas City) Lescher & Mahoney Sports (Tampa) Criswell, Blizzard & Blouin Architects (St. Petersburg) |
| Structural engineer | Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Inc. (bowl) Geiger Engineers P.C. (roof) |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc. |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichols |
| Tenants | |
| Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) (1991–1996) Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) (1993–1996) Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (1998–2024) St. Petersburg Bowl (NCAA) (2008–2017) WWE ThunderDome (Professional wrestling) (2020–2021) | |
Tropicana Field (nicknamed "The Trop") is a domed multipurpose stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. "The Trop" was the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2024. The stadium is also used for college football, and from December 2008 to December 2017 was the home of the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual postseason bowl game. The venue is the only nonretractable domed stadium in MLB. Tropicana Field is the smallest MLB stadium by seating capacity when obstructed-view rows in the uppermost sections are covered with tarps as they are for most Rays games.
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the facility and its name was changed to the ThunderDome until the team moved to its new home in downtown Tampa in 1996. In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company then based in nearby Bradenton, signed a 30-year naming rights deal.
Tropicana Field's location and design (especially the ceiling catwalks) have been widely criticized, and it is often cited as one of the worst stadiums in MLB, which itself has cited the need to replace Tropicana Field as one of the primary obstacles to future expansion.
In 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays announced a deal with local politicians to build Gas Plant Stadium, a new stadium near Tropicana Field at an expected cost of $1.2 billion, half of which would fall on taxpayers. In March 2025, the Rays cancelled the deal.
On October 9, 2024, much of the translucent, fiberglass roof membrane of Tropicana Field was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. Although a renovation of the stadium is planned for 2026, its future is uncertain. The Rays are currently playing all of their home games for the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.