The Philadelphia Phillies are headed to BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. to begin their 2023 Spring Training home games. This will be the 77th annual Spring Training season held in Clearwater, and fans are undoubtedly excited for the reining National League Champions to retake the field. Especially with the new additions to the team, the Phillies have a plethora of talent to show their dedicated fanbase. This year, BayCare Ballpark is also offering a number of new experiences for fans, and have added a new “Know Before You Go” feature on the MLB Ballpark App to assist them.
The newsmaker for this press release story would be all Phillies fans, especially those attending 2023 Spring Training home games in Clearwater. For the audience that will be in attendance at these home games, this press release is vital in addressing the new features that BayCare Ballpark will be implementing. First, all tickets and parking passes will be available through the MLB Ballpark App. There will be no tangible tickets or passes for the entirety of the 2023 Spring Training season at BayCare Ballpark. On top of this, all payments at the ballpark will be cashless. Food, concessions, alcohol, merchandise and all other purchasable ballpark items must be paid for without cash. With more than two dozen new items in the ballpark, any attendee will want to make sure that they pay attention to the new ballpark set-up.
Aside from the new ballpark merchandise and the change in payment methods, the Phillies are also proud to announce a number of events occurring during the 2023 Spring Training Season. The first home game will feature a first pitch parachute delivery by U.S. Military Para-Commandos. There will also be a Phillies Auction held from March 3-28, benefitting Clearwater-area charities.
As the PR person for this audience, I would need to concern myself with the incoming fans that are unaware of the new rules. Aside from a press release on the Phillies website, one or two reminder emails ought to be sent to all ticket purchasers. This story has a slight negative angle, as the news talks about eliminating an entire payment method. Some folks who are not apt with contemporary times may not have another payment method aside from cash. Another option or possibility would be to charge the same payment method that an attendee used to purchase their ticket, if said attendee does not have another payment option. The switch to cashless payment methods only shows that the Phillies brand is following the trend of other contemporary brands. Many locations in the United States are no longer accepting cash, and it can make sense why the Phillies are implementing this method in one of their smaller stadiums.
