The University of Utah opened its new baseball stadium this week as 150 supporters gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark.
Several dignitaries spoke from the podium to illustrate the facility’s impact—not only as the home for the Utah baseball program but as a shared community asset. In keeping with that theme, the event recognized the outcome of a shared vision between the U, Salt Lake City and community.
Once podium remarks concluded, project supporters and partners gathered to cut the ribbon and officially kick off a new era.
The ballpark is located on Guardsman Way and was built on the site of the baseball team’s former practice facility. It brings the Utes back to campus for games after playing the majority of contests downtown at Smith’s Ballpark from 1996 to 2025.
America First Credit Union played a leading role in bringing the program’s new home to life, partnering with the U on a 10-year naming rights agreement. The project also received meaningful support from Charlie Monfort, owner and general partner of the Colorado Rockies and a proud Utah alumnus.
Ground was broken in summer 2024 and Utah will host game competition in the facility beginning this season. The Utes began practicing here in August 2025 once the FieldTurf playing surface was installed and while work continued in other areas of the ballpark. The team was able to see the completed interior spaces—including the locker room—for the first time this past Sunday, and day-to-day baseball operations will transition here in the coming days.
Nearly everything that a Utah baseball student-athlete could need is located here. In addition to the field itself, the team locker room, film room, lounge, weight room, equipment room, sports medicine suite, coaches’ offices and more are all under one roof. Directly adjacent to the field surface is an indoor training facility with hitting tunnels and pitching lab. Many of these spaces were previously spread across campus and the city—and were not as extensive.
The project came together rather quickly; less than two years ago, this same location was a grass field with a chain-link backstop. A key moment came in 2023 when the U’s Board of Trustees gave contingency approval for the project. In the months that followed, Populous was selected as design architect, VCBO was designated as the architect of record and Layton Construction was tabbed general contractor. The majority of funding for the $38 million project was privately raised.