Fresno City Council is set to approve an agreement on Thursday that will outline how non-Minor League Baseball (MiLB) events will operate at Chukchansi Park.
Fresno Sports and Events, LLC – the owners of the Fresno Grizzlies and tenant of the downtown baseball stadium – has already agreed to the deal, which has received the required approval from Major League Baseball.
Per the deal, the Grizzlies ownership group will be granted a right of first refusal for all non-MiLB events at Chukchansi Park.
Such non-MiLB events that are in play at Chukchansi Park are Mexican league soccer games and boxing matches.
The city would then have the second right of refusal and could also partner with Fresno Sports and Events to hold joint promotional events.
Third parties interested in holding events at the stadium will deal directly with Grizzlies ownership to gain permission through the right of first refusal.
If any parties inquire to the city about using the stadium, the city is obligated to first direct them to the Grizzlies’ owners.
Fresno Sports and Events can elect to hold events jointly with third parties or hand them off to the city to operate.
Since the Grizzlies offer exclusive sponsorship at Chukchansi Park throughout the year, the agreement prohibits the city from allowing any businesses at events that conflict with the sponsorships already in place.
The city and Fresno Sports and Events still have to agree to a revenue and cost sharing when scheduling events.
