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The Omaha Royals were named the Sarpy County 2009 Business of the Year and team president Alan Stein was honored as the county’s Business Leader of the Year. The awards were presented at the Chamber’s Awards Kick-off October 9.
Norm Nelson, chair on the Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, said that “the Omaha Royals have increased their involvement in Sarpy County by selecting Papillion as the site of the new stadium, in the heart of the county.” He added that “the new stadium will offer even more entertainment and will be the seed for new business development in Sarpy County.”
Nelson said that Stein “has shown an incredible commitment to the economic development potential in Sarpy County. His leadership in the effort to retain the Omaha Royals in the metro area and his decision to look to Sarpy County will pay dividends for years to come. Sarpy County will benefit from the new stadium, with new jobs and additional economic development that will add value to the entire metro area.”
About the Royals
The Omaha Royals have been the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals since 1969, one of the longest-running relationships in professional baseball.
Along the way, the O-Royals have captured four league championships, 11 division titles and in 1990 won the Junior World Series, defeating International League champion Rochester. They've also sent over 750 players into the major leagues, including such stars as Hall of Famer George Brett, Frank White, Dennis Leonard, Paul Splittorff and many others.
The O-Royals were an immediate success, capturing the American Association pennant in their first two seasons in 1969 and 1970 under future major league manager Jack McKeon. The Royals played in the Triple-A American Association from 1969-97. Teams from that league merged with the Pacific Coast League and the Royals have competed in the PCL since 1998.
The Royals led the AA in attendance in 1969 and were second in 1970, starting a strong tradition at the gate. In 2009, the O-Royals attracted 371,046, an average of 5,456 per game, marking an increase of nearly 10 percent over 2008. It was the 22nd straight year the Royals drew more than 300,000 and brought the all-time total to over 11 million fans.
Here are some other fun facts about the Royals:
- Approximately 200 in-season jobs are provided by the Royals
- A permanent staff of approximately 40 people, including front office, field and stadium operations, catering and other are employed by the Royals and their partners
- Charitable contributions of $820,000 in 2008 and more than $861,000 in 2009 were made to the community in cash, volunteer hours, equipment and in-kind contributions by the Royals
- A fan base from eight counties in the metro area, with attendees from 30 counties went to Royals games
- Overall attendance at minor league parks has never been higher than over the past five seasons in the 107 years of organized minor league baseball
- Nationally, minor league baseball drew 42.3 million fans in 2008, more than the NFL and the NBA combined
- Going to a Royals game is affordable family entertainment at its best
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Royals Earn Sarpy Chamber of Commerce Awards