Baseball fans visiting Nationals Park this season can enjoy new dining options, mobile ordering and and a deeper connection to D.C. history and culture as part of a slew of amenities added to the park this spring.
The home of the Washington Nationals introduced a BetMGM sports betting bar, new dining options and a special suite with extensive fan seating to honor the 2019 World Series championship team. Ryan Bringger, the vice president of ticket sales and service for the Nationals, said the upgrades improve the overall ballpark experience for fans as a fresh season of baseball gets underway.
The park’s new fans suite – the FIS Champions Club – is located behind home plate and stretches from first to third base featuring memorabilia from the Nationals’ 2019 postseason run, like game-used jerseys, bases and line-up cards, framed photos and the World Series trophy.
The keepsakes are set up along a wall-to-wall window for visitors to peruse. The suite’s area on the first and third baselines supplies a bird’s eye view of the game below. The club, which was constructed this offseason, accepts reservations for special events and offers ballpark seating.
The park also added a new line of DMV-based chains, including Rockland’s BBQ, Hard Times Cafe, Grazie Grazie, South Mountain Creamery and GW favorites Duke’s Grocery and Roaming Rooster. The new vendors will offer a mix of American and Italian cuisines and provide everything from barbecue to soft-serve ice cream to attendees.
Jonathan Stahl, the vice president of experience and hospitality for the Nationals, said the collaboration with local food vendors is part of a continued effort to connect the Nationals with the D.C. community.
The park unveiled a BetMGM sportsbook and bar just outside of the park in January, where fans can bet as much as they want on any sport. The location is the first sports betting bar at the park with a collection of betting kiosks and TVs airing live sports games like basketball and baseball and the odds for each.
“We’re excited to now add this within the city of Washington,” Chris Gumiela, the vice president of marketing for BetMGM, said. “When you come here pregame as a fan or even when the Nats are away, you’re going to be able to leverage a multitude of opportunities to engage in sports betting on the Nats or on any other sport that you’d like to engage with.”
The Nationals have also launched some new merchandise for the season, most notably the cherry blossom-themed City Connect jerseys – a fashionable nod to D.C.’s distinctive cherry blossom season. City Connect, a collaboration between Major League Baseball and Nike, ventures to capture the bond between each of the 14 participating teams and their respective city through tailored uniform designs.
The Nationals may have traded the fastest player in baseball Trea Turner last season, but that doesn’t mean they’re not introducing speedy new services for ballpark patrons to utilize. Fans will simply walk right through security without placing their phones, keys and other items in a bowl with the park’s newest security upgrade called OPENGATE. If the scanners flag an item, the fans will need to walk through the stiles again.
Visitors to the park can now order concessions through the MLB Ballpark app – a perk that Bringger said will continue from last year, its first in effect. Bringger said fans can now use the app to pay to move to open seats closer to the action on the field during the game.
Though the Nationals are not offering student discounts this season, Stahl, the vice president of experience and hospitality for the Nationals, said students can attend the park’s George Washington University Day on Sept. 18, buying a special ticket to receive a hat adorned with the GW and Nationals logos at the end of the game.
