The stadium for the Glacier Range Riders faces Glacier National Park and on a clear day several peaks are visible from behind home plate, making the newly named Glacier Bank Park one of the most scenic ballparks in America.
Glacier Bank and Ridge Run Operators, the company that owns the Range Riders, announced in a press release on Wednesday that the Kalispell financial institution had secured naming rights to the ballpark through 2033.
“We are proud of the partnership between Glacier Bank and the Glacier Range Riders organization, along with the Kelly family,” Glacier Bank Market President Michael Smith said in a prepared statement. “We succeed when the communities we serve succeed. That’s why giving back to our community has always been an important part of who we are.”
The Range Riders are the brainchild of businessman Marty Kelly, who owns a construction company and splits his time between Kalispell and Atlanta, where his family founded the Sunbelt Baseball League, a collegiate summer wood bat league in Georgia. In addition to founding the team, the Kelly family invested in building a brand-new stadium along U.S. Highway 93 north of Kalispell, which was completed last summer.
The state-of-the-art multipurpose venue hosted 83,217 fans in the Range Riders’ inaugural season. The facility includes 2,500 permanent seats with a total capacity of around 4,000. There are five buildings on site, including 19 suites, a playground, restaurant and mercantile team shop. For the inaugural season, the venue was known as Flathead Field.
“Glacier Bank Park was designed to be a world-class multi-purpose venue and state-of-the-art baseball facility,” Ridge Run Operators President Chris Kelly said. “As the home of the Glacier Range Riders, the ballpark serves as a community hub, welcoming residents of Flathead Valley out on summer evenings to cheer on their hometown team. In the future, Glacier Bank Park will host a variety of events that will create memorable experiences and serve our community.”
In the Range Riders’ first season with the Pioneer Baseball League the team went 39-56, finishing last in the League’s North Division, but had a better record than South Division teams Rocky Mountain Vibes, Northern Colorado Owlz and the Boise Hawks.
Glacier Bank first opened its doors in 1955 in downtown Kalispell as First Federal Savings and Loan. The company now has 350 employees at branches in five Montana counties.
“We are excited to be part of making such a fun family event available for the residents of the Flathead Valley and beyond,” Smith said. “In addition to supporting our local professional baseball team, we also see this partnership as an opportunity to benefit our community and local non-profit endeavors.”
The Glacier Range Riders open its season in Great Falls on May 23 and will take the field at Glacier Bank Park for a homestand against the Billings Mustangs on May 30.