After hosting MLB game, what's next for 'Field of Dreams' stadium in Iowa?

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — Roman Weinberg, the director of operations for Go The Distance, sits in his back office and smiles as the topic of Major League Baseball’s specially constructed stadium nearby comes up.

Go The Distance owns and operates the "Field of Dreams" movie site and will eventually take over the ballpark built for Thursday’s MLB game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

Weinberg believes the new park brings a wealth of new opportunities to the movie site.

He envisions Little League games, high school tournaments and college and minor league contests being played in the new park. But there’s one additional thing, out of all the possibilities on Weinberg’s list, he wants to see the stadium used for: a return of Major League Baseball.

"Right now," he said, "our goal is trying to get the game back and turn it into an annual affair."

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The biggest step in that process comes Thursday night, when the White Sox and Yankees play on the new field, the first official MLB contest in Iowa history.

If Chicago Cubs' manager David Ross' comments Wednesday to Chicago media were any indication, there may be a return trip to Dyersville soon for the MLB. 

“We’re in that next year, right?” Cubs manager David Ross said, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. 

News? Or just a verbal slip? A baseball source with direct knowledge told The Register on Wednesday evening that talks were underway to bring the Cubs to "Field of Dreams" next. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred did not confirm a team or specific date, but he did say Thursday the league would play another game at the "Field of Dreams" site in 2022.  

Meanwhile, fans across the world will tune in to Thursday's game. The Sports Business Journal reported this week that FOX will accumulate more advertising sales revenue from the game this week than any other regular season game in its 25-year relationship with MLB. 

Weinberg hopes that if it goes well, it won’t be the last MLB game in Iowa.

And with the early advertising figures that have come in — so far, so good. 

"This is really the test run," Weinberg said. "So as long as everything works smoothly on time, there are no hiccups and it reflects the game of baseball in a positive light, which is one of the most important things, which we’re confident it will accomplish, then I would find it hard to believe that this doesn’t return."

Go The Distance is banking on it.

The specially constructed stadium around the MLB field, which seats 8,000 fans and was built next to the original diamond at the movie site, is a temporary facility for Thursday's game. Weinberg said the field, dugouts, bullpens, fences and irrigation system will stay at the site after Thursday's game.

But a week or so after the game, Weinberg expects MLB to start disassembling other parts of the park. The locker rooms, lights, seats and bleachers will all be torn down. That could create an issue for Go The Distance, which may have to replace those items after MLB leaves and eventually hands over the stadium. Weinberg wouldn't say when that will take place. 

"We have a rolodex of vendors for bleachers and things like that for large-scale events that we would always contact in terms of that," Weinberg said. "But really, it's trying to finalize things from a Major League Baseball standpoint as well, and figuring out what exactly we want to do with the field."

The costs of keeping everything up right now would be too much for Go The Distance, Weinberg said. The movie site is already focused on trying to put in a youth baseball complex near the two parks.

In an interview with The Register last week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred didn't rule out a return visit. He said he wanted to see how things went in Dyersville before deciding if another game could come. 

"It is important for us to play live in states where we don't play on a regular basis, and I think Iowa certainly fits that bill," Manfred said. 

The city of Dyersville and the movie site have rolled out the red carpet for MLB this week, including putting on events throughout the town for visitors without tickets. Local police will limit traffic around the movie site to ease congestion. And the site has opened its arms to MLB and players during the visit.

A successful experience, they're hoping, could lead MLB to investing more money into the park and taking care of some of those facilities costs for Go The Distance. 

"That would solve itself if things fell into place," Weinberg said. "But if not, we have companies that we would talk to."

But that's a big if right now.

In the meantime, Weinberg and his staff are loosely planning for the future. Beyond baseball games, some ideas include summer concerts and movie nights. 

The original diamond is already used for youth tournaments. The new field could as well. The new field's size also creates some other opportunities, like high school state tournament games or minor league games. Weinberg said they've talked about trying to make it a permanent home for a minor league team.

Regardless of what happens, Weinberg said the new field will certainly become another stop for tourist trips to the site. 

"We've got a lot of opportunities when it comes to that Field of Dreams," Dyersville mayor Jim Heavens told The Register.

And more opportunities will come if the "Field of Dreams" game is a hit with visitors, viewers and advertisers.  

"It's really testing the infrastructure of the city of Dyersville, but also the movie site," Weinberg said. "Can we facilitate 8,000 people here and can we make it a smooth process? Can we do it in a way that is almost painless?" 

If so, the payout could be monumental. MLB has done it elsewhere, coming back to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for a game during the Little League World Series. The goal is to not only bring MLB back to Dyersville, but to keep the spotlight shining on the movie site. 

"Our main goal here," Weinberg said, "is to preserve the Field of Dreams but also to keep it on the map for years to come."