Tickets & Seating

Seating Chart

Which seats are for you?

Main grandstand seats:
Club are in front (labeled box)
Grandstand Reserved above concourse

Recommended seating for visitors

• Grandstand Reserved Sections B-F (Box reserved if possible)
• General Admission, first base side

Telus Field is a fairly modern (1995) ballpark design. All fans enter ground level along John Ducey Way which is along the first base side of the field and north side of the stadium. Unless you are in the luxury suites, you'll climb stairs to concourse level or take the elevator behind home plate.

As with Foothills Stadium in Calgary, facility was built to AAA specifications which includes high fixed seat capacity (9,200). The stadium is essentially fully developed with the grandstand extending (nearly) the entire distances to the outfield fence. There are no berm or other seating options. Given the high capacity SRO, though possible, is very unlikely (or necessary).

Concourse entry takes places you between rows 3 and 4. If have club/box seating you'll descend the small maximum of three rows (the topmost row is 20). The concourse is also where you find wheelchair seating.

Sunscreen Warning!

Alberta AAA ballparks face southwest maximizing the sun (in your face) for all games. Cracker-Cat fans sitting behind the home dugout (third base) get the most sun, right up until sunset. Visiting fans sitting on the first base side unless they sit in the GA section towards the outfield fence.

There is a small canopy but it doesn't appear to extend far enough over the top rows to provide significant shade. As a result anyone going to day games who is not sitting indoors (luxury suites) should have sunscreen.

Ground Level Luxury Suites

Typical ground level luxury suite (3rd base side)

Ground level from dugout to dugout

One of the most unique design aspects of the ballpark are the ground level suites. The idea has some merit, those paying the extra money for suites should/could expect to have some of the best seats possible. Unlike any other ballpark in the league they get them in Edmonton and then some. In addition to three rows of fixed seating outdoors, there is ample additional room in front of those for additional seating, tables, or whatever the fan chooses to use it. Couple this with the space indoors and these are easily the "deepest" suites anywhere in the Northern League.

What they have in "depth" is compensated by the lack of width. Unlike skyboxes placed away from the field, the relatively short distances down the lines keep the seating width down to only four. This restriction lead to some other adjustments. Some of the suites are behind the dugouts which are themselves pushed further towards to the outfield. These suites do not have enjoy the extra space in front as their neighbors nearer home plate.

Box Reserved Seating

Suite areas with additional space in front (and behind) the seats.

Grandstand Sections
Rows 1-3 Sections B-I

Short of the suites, these are the prime tickets at Telus Field. They are the first three rows just above the ground level suites themselves. These are true "box" seats with much of the extra railings that give these sections their name. These are generally excellent seats and often the best you can hope to get.

One of the many quirks of the design of the stadium is that these seats are more "recessed" from the field than they could be. In newer (MLB) ballparks ground suites often have seating directly above them so there is a "double decker" of people right at the edge of the field of play. The architects did not design this ballpark like that. What's somewhat more annoying is that the box seats do not overlap the suites in any way they are in fact set back another few feet from the edge (overhang) than they could have been.

Webmaster's Appraisal of "Ground Level Suites" Idea

First it must be said that the Cracker-Cats didn't have anything to do with the design of Telus Field. It was built 10 years before for the Trappers. Creating ground level suites definitely remains unique and defining characteristic of the ballpark. It certainly reduced the cost of construction and reduces some bother for those using or servicing them (no stairs or elevators necessary).

Crowd watching game from grandstand reserved seats behind home plate

The problem is that for average fans it is somewhat annoying that the often unused suites put a lot of choice seating space to waste. For those who dislike the idea of "skybox" fans "looking down" on the "hoi polloi" seeing lots of empty suites should be seen as a distinct contrast. When the suites are in use these "lucky few" get to show off more since they're in the line of sight of much of the action at the ballpark. Of course being in the "lowly position" below the rest of the crowd could also mean that the errant wrapper or spilled beer might fall on them (and possibly explain the overhang).

Had this ballpark been designed a few years later its design may have had a double-decker design (as suggested above) that would have created almost the best of both worlds. Two complete sets of front row seats right up to the netting.

Of course there's one great solution that the Cracker-Cats have in place for this: The Home Plate Club which provides a chance to "upgrade" yourself to ground level luxury right behind home plate for an additional fee. This is discussed on its own page.

Grandstand General Admission

Grandstand Sections "A" & "J" (Rows 4-20)

Aluminum bleacher sections

Telus is somewhat unique in that it has "two types" of GA seats. As shown in the photo above between the dark green reserved seating section and the silver bleachers is "Section J." These seats are are "blue green" and have a bench back unlike those further out (beyond the dugout and behind the striped picnic/bullpen canopy) which have none. The same is true on first base (visitor's) side with "Section A."

Clearly this represents a practical bargain as long as the team sells them for the same price. Arriving early, if there's a big crowd expected, could result in both a better view and back support.

All Telus Field Seating areas (suites, box reserved, reserved and both types of GA seating)

Day of Game Purchase

As in Calgary to the south the AAA size of the ballpark means there should be little trouble getting seats. Attendance during the inaugural Northern League season (2005) was rather low but should improve. WIth a stated capacity of 9,000 there's little chance that anyone would be turned away but it's likely that, should that welcome problem arise, the would come up with an SRO or other solution.

Box Office Locations

Main office ticket window with Will Call
(east end of ballpark along the street)

Secondary ticket window
(just a little further down)

There are two "ticket windows" for Telus Field. One opens directly into the front office (nearer home plate/east) and is where you will find the Will Call window. Another is just a little further down towards the main gates. On low attendance days the main office location may be the only one open and is clearly where people pick up their reserved seats.

Entrances

Main entrance east end of the stadium

There are basically two main entrance areas. The "main entrance" for access to the suites, elevators (for those who cannot take the stairs) and reserved seating. GA and others can enter at one of the numbered gates (1-4) on the side of the stadium near the street.

Gates 1-4 on the street