Richmond Flying Squirrels Get New Ballpark

After years of looking for options and negotiations, the Richmond Flying Squirrels have signed a stadium deal. The team signed a 30-year contract with the Richmond Economic Development.

After the Jay Littleton Ballpark fire, also some good ballpark news.

The club will move into a new $117 million stadium to be built just south of The Diamond, the club’s current ballpark, as the anchor of the overall Diamond District development.

The new ballpark will roughly hold 9,000 seats. The Flying Squirrels, along with Machete Group as project management consultant, will “oversee the building and development of the ballpark.” According to the city, site work “has already begun.” O’Connor noted stadium construction is “expected to begin soon,” with a targeted opening for the 2026 season.

The Flying Squirrels will make annual payments of $3.2M for the first 10 years, with the payment dropping to $1.3M in year 11 and escalating 3% year over year thereafter.

The team will be “responsible for the operation and management of the ballpark,” which is expected to host events apart from Flying Squirrels and VCU baseball. The naming rights will likely go to CarMax.

Since new ballparks often go with rebranding lately, don’t be surprised if the club will change its name and look as well.