Arnold Anderson Stadium is the home of the Intercounty Baseball League's Brantford Red Sox. While the team has a storied championship history, the two times I was there the team was mired in a 19-game losing streak, and the attendance numbers bore that out. Being the Canada Day long weekend, the team held a $5 admission day and a free admission day to drive in some fans. While the locals assured me the crowd was more than the recent norm, it was pretty underwhelming. The fans that were there, however, were passionate about their team and were overall friendly and great people.
The stadium itself is a fair bit underwhelming. The main seating area behind home plate is obscured by a black chain-link fence supported by rather thick poles which makes you feel like you're watching the game from a prison cell. The other main seating areas are a set of bleachers down either baseline. The only respite from the shade are some picnic tables sitting under some trees all the way down the third baseline (which has no fence separating the seating area from the field of play, just a white line). Being a hot summer day, I sought respite from the sun here for most of both games I was at. It's a pretty unique vantage point, with no separation between you and the game (except that white line) you feel closer to the action and can hear the conversations between the outfielders (and the players aren't shy about chatting with the fans either).
The concessions are also nothing to get excited about. The hot dog that I had was pretty awful, and the buns that were supposed to have come from a local bakery did not taste that fresh at all. The prices were good, but you certainly didn't get much for your money, except a desire to eat somewhere else after you left.
All-in-all, I still enjoyed my visit to Arnold Anderson Stadium enough the first day, that I came back for a game the next day. It's a bit disappointing that this team that once won six straight league titles is currently sitting in dead last with a 1-19 record. The fans in the community are great and they deserve better. I hope to come back here again sometime and see a better product from the home team. read more