4/1/2012: Charleston, SC – On the eve of PEBA‘s Opening Day, the highly anticipated 2012 season is not the only thing that looms at Moultrie Park.  The executive offices of the Charleston Statesmen are bustling with all sorts of activity.

After falling short of a chance to repeat their 2010 PEC Championship, optimism remains the club can make another run in 2012.  Yet there is a different buzz in the front office this morning, one that supersedes any eventual success the club has high expectations for: the “StandUp” fund.

StandUp For Kids, a non-profit charitable organization providing aid for homeless and at-risk youth, has begun its work in the state of South Carolina.  The program was founded in 1990 in the neighboring city of Atlanta and now stretches across thirty-two states.

The Charleston Chapter (2010) was founded by Hootie and the Blowfish frontman and Charleston native Darius Rucker.

“When I first learned of StandUp for Kids, it opened my eyes as to what is really going on.  You read and you hear about these kinds of things all the time, but they never really seem to carry any weight – that is, until you get involved.  All of us can do a little something to help those that are less fortunate.  These helpless children are part of our future, and if we can’t help provide them with the chance – it’s impossible for them to succeed.”

Rucker and the Charleston Statesmen have collaborated on the “StandUp” fund, a campaign that has been in the works since Rucker established the charity in nearby Mt. Pleasant.

The “StandUp” event kicks off next Monday, and the Statesmen have announced they will donate 100% of the revenue generated from all tickets sold in Moultrie Park’s brand-new standing room section during every home game Mondays through Thursdays.

Once an inaccessible section high above Moultrie Park, the 3,950 square-ft area has been converted to a patio-style standing room area and has an estimated capacity of 1,000.  The brick foundation has been raised to create a 20-ft walkway that wraps around nearly two-thirds of the park.  20-ft of glass raise up along the border providing unique and stunning views of the immediate Charleston landscape.

“We have always had all that space up there to take advantage of but never really found a practical use for it.  It was basically a throughway for maintenance to get to the lighting structures and maintain the power conduits.  We were able to find a way to add that park aspect atop the stadium without inhibiting our workers’ ability to do their jobs.”
– Jon Constantine, Owner, Charleston Statesmen

Moultrie Park is the tallest structure in Charleston, and the views of the downtown area are sure to make it a more desirable tourist attraction than ever before.  Standing room ticket-holders are also entitled to half-price Moultrie Mac-Dogs and beverages during the first six innings.

While Moultrie Park is the second-largest stadium operating in the PEBA, it wasn’t always so.  A number of upgrades in the past put in play by Constantine have seen maximum capacity of Moultrie Park rise from 37,300 to 47,500.

Ironically, that twenty-seven percent increase in seating capacity coincides with its twenty-six percent increase in attendance – the main contributing factor that fueled the club’s revenue increase of nearly forty percent over the last three seasons.  This feat proves that teams in smaller markets can generate large market revenue.

While stadium capacity improvements have been high on Constantine’s list, realistically speaking, Moultrie Park has probably reached its full potential.  However, players come and go; wins and losses fluctuate from year to year; but the act of getting as many people as you can to your park… well, that lasts forever – through the good and the bad.

With high aspirations and a roaring crowd behind them, the Statesmen will kick off their 2012 play with reigning PEC champs – the Florida Featherheads.  The ensuing rivalry will pit the top two Imperial League teams from a year ago.

The “StandUp” campaign launches April 9^th, a day that the city of Charleston has declared “Darius Rucker Day”.  Rucker will throw the first pitch in a match-up against the Arlington Bureaucrats.

To jumpstart the “StandUp” fund, the Statesmen will be donating the game’s entire revenue.  Tickets are on sale now, so come and check out the new views from Moultrie Park and support a good cause while you are at it.