The new stadium has a capacity of 700, down big from past venues' capacities of 2,200 to 3,500WASHINGTON KASTLES
The World TeamTennis Washington Kastles start their season tonight, and Owner Mark Ein called the team's new court on the roof of Union Market in DC an "unprecedented venue," according to Matthew Gutierrez of the WASHINGTON POST. The pop-up stadium has a "capacity of 700 people, down significantly from the team’s previous venues, which held from 2,200 to 3,500 for Kastles matches." Ein said that it will feature VIP dinner tables with food from restaurants in Union Market and the surrounding area. He added that the home schedule is "sold out." Ein had been "looking at various sites" across DC to "move the Kastles after five seasons indoors at Charles E. Smith Center on the campus of George Washington." A rooftop court was "not on his list." But as he "heard more about its feasibility, he believed it would function as an intriguing site." Ein: "I thought maybe we were out of ideas. Then we decided to put it on the roof of Union Market. To actually see it come to life ... it’s spectacular and hard to believe it came together." Should all go well this month, Ein "wants to call Union Market the Kastles’ home" beyond '19 as part of a "permanent, year-round rooftop development" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/14).
FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE: In Philadelphia, Jackson Satz notes the WTT Philadelphia Freedoms this season will play their home matches at St. Joseph’s Hagan Arena, which has "undergone significant transformation to accommodate the tennis competition" ahead of tonight's home opener. With several Philadelphia-area food trucks "scheduled to make appearances throughout the month, the Freedoms are hoping to create a fun atmosphere that intimidates opposing teams" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/15).
