VOL 27 ISSUE 23, June 8, 2026
Petco Park, where Delaware North Sportservice operates hospitality and retail services, took home Facility of the Year honors at Sports Business Journal’s recent Sports Business Awards in New York City.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and Progressive Field in Cleveland, where Sportservice also provides hospitality services, were among the six finalists for the Facility of the Year award.
Both the hospitality and retail amenities were cited as part of the recognition.
The full writeup from Sports Business Journal can be found below.
Petco Park, the home of the Padres and plenty of other entertainment programming, experienced a seminal year in 2025.
The venue set a facility record in total attendance for the year, drawing 3.4 million fans. That included 72 Padres sellouts and more than 250 other events, ranging from the Savannah Bananas to multiple music festivals.
Padres Executive Vice President of Business Affairs Sergio del Prado called the milestones the “culmination of a lot of hard work,” spearheaded by the team’s CEO Erik Greupner and the Seidler family ownership group.
“You don’t have to be a baseball fan to come to Petco. You could be a country, rap, regional Mexican fan,” del Prado said. “We hope it really – and it has been – a gathering place for the community, and it’s a place where everybody’s welcome.”
Recent improvements to the park have also set it up for future success. Last year, the Padres renovated the Western Metal Building, including a new team store (which drove record merchandise sales) and a rooftop that connects to the Budweiser Loft hospitality area. It’s all part of a nine-figures investment poured into the park and surrounding areas in the past five years, headlined by the Gallagher Square park space.
“Our revenue growth speaks for itself, our attendance – but every day, it’s what have you done for me lately?” del Prado said. “And we continue to strive to get better.”