The Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex is a sports facility owned by the City of

Dunedin, Florida Dunedin is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Dunedin is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area and ...

. It is used primarily by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

as a practice facility, and is home to their Rookie league affiliate, the

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays i ...

. The facility opened in 1978 and named after City Commissioner and one time mayor

Cecil P. Englebert Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada * Cecil, Alber ...

, who lured the

to the area. The facility was renovated in 2002 for $14 million, expanding it from . The Blue Jays renamed the training facility the Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex in 2003 after

Bobby Mattick Robert James Mattick (December 5, 1915 – December 16, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. After his playing ca ...

, who managed the Blue Jays from 1980 to 1981, and was employed by the team from 1976 until his death in 2004. The City of Dunedin objected to the new name, arguing that Mattick had no ties to the City. The site features: * training facilities * team offices * hitting cages * five full fields * one small field Three other baseball diamonds on the north side belong to the

Louis A. Vanech Recreation Complex Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewi ...

, another city owned facility at 3051 Garrison Road; public parking is available along with access to the Englebert Complex. The Jays' lease of the facility runs through 2017, but they have the option to extend it by an additional five years twice. After investigating possible alternative sites to host their spring training facility, the Jays negotiated an $81 million renovation to the stadium ($33.3 million) and Englebert Complex ($47.8 million), which they would contribute $20 million to (plus any cost overruns) with the rest coming from the state ($13.7 million), county ($41.7 million) and city ($5.6 million) governments. The stadium would be expanded from 5,500 to 8,500 seats. The lease agreement for the stadium lasts for 25 years, with the option to renew for a further 2 years five times. The City Commission approved the deal in November 2017. The club retains all revenue from sales at concessions and parking at the stadium, while they share revenue from naming rights with the city. The plan calls for the county to approve and a funding request to be submitted to the state by the end of 2017, with construction to begin in April 2018.

References

{{Toronto Blue Jays Minor league baseball venues Sports venues in Pinellas County, Florida Toronto Blue Jays spring training venues 1977 establishments in Florida Florida Complex League ballparks Buildings and structures in Dunedin, Florida