On the Christie Hillside: CBL Odyssey: Welland

Welland Stadium, Welland

In 2026, the Intercounty Baseball League set off on a whole new journey.

It shed its name and sailed into new waters as the Canadian Baseball League. Bigger, better, bolder.

This is also the summer of The Odyssey, one of the blockbuster movies of the year. It's the legendary tale of one man's journey through practically every nook and cranny of the Mediterranean before finally getting home.

With all this in mind, I'm making 2026 the summer of the CBL Odyssey. I'm revisiting the league's ballparks with a fresh set of eyes. Next stop is the Rose City, Welland.

WELLAND STADIUM

GETTING THERE - from Toronto you take the QEW into Niagara, then join up with the 406 into Welland. The stadium used to be isolated but in recent years commercial and residential development has started springing up nearby. Getting there by transit would likely be daunting. There's some GO service to St. Catharines and you'd have to figure it out from there.

PARKING - vast, immense. The parking lot could double as an emergency landing strip.

BALLPARK VIBES - someone in the Welland Jackfish organization has read the books written by Bill Veeck and his son Mike. The Veecks are a multi-generational family of baseball promoters whose credo has always been a single word: fun.

Fun is the operative word the moment you enter Welland Stadium. The baseball experience is presented as a kind of tropical vacation. Staff roam the park dressed as their favourite Jimmy Buffett songs. It's baseball with a yacht rock soundtrack.

The stadium is a hopping place. The Jackfish have won the league championship two of the last three years, and winning teams attract people. The night I visited was announced as the eleventh sellout of the season, over 3,000 tickets sold. Most seats were filled.

The grandstand wraps around most of the field. There are some grassy areas for kids to run wild. A patio-style seating area is perched above the first base side. Behind that, a shipping container sells merch and the Jackfish have a lot of it. The restrooms are standard for a place this size but busy.

IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT - nonstop. Between every half inning, there is either a wacky onfield contest, a merch toss, or a fan interaction. There are some female-friendly presentations too: at each game, one lucky lady receives a bouquet of flowers presented by a player, and one lucky little girl is declared princess of the game, complete with a tiara to wear. During the seventh inning stretch, the stadium's own "Harry Caray" leads the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". This organization knows how to make its fans feel good and appreciated. All of it is overseen by Ryan Harrison, the club's Director of Fun. (He is also majority owner and president of the Jackfish.)

FREEDOM TO ROAM AND TAKE PHOTOS - when over 3,000 people are jammed into the place, it gets tight. The grandstand concourse is narrow, sometimes forcing people to move through the crowds single-file. It's also the only park in the CBL with assigned seating. Once seated, I felt kind of locked there, not motivated to roam around and explore. Luckily the seating is protected by flexible woven string fencing, not thick hard chainlink, so it's easier to shoot through.

BALLPARK CUISINE - the only disappointing thing about Welland Stadium. The food is bog standard. "Mid," as the youths would say. The options are hot dogs, pizza slices, and the usual array of junk food (popcorn, nachos, candy). You want fries with your dog? You have to go around the corner from the concession stand and get into a second line just for that. It's complicated and time consuming. I was expecting there to be some kind of thematic food thing to accompany the tropical/nautical vibe. Maybe fish sticks and fries? Jackfish nuggets? Would that be too hard?

BALLPARK BEER - they have a Jackfish-branded beer called Pond Water Lager, brewed by Newark Brewing Company in nearby Beamsville. It comes in a green can, it's refreshing, it's no nonsense.

TEAM MASCOT - a friendly character named Jacques the fish wanders the park entertaining kids and grown ups alike.

DO KIDS RUN THE BASES? - after some games. Also after some games, the Jackfish put on a fireworks show.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS - the Jackfish set the CBL standard for an all-encompassing baseball experience. They have a winning ballclub, wall-to-wall entertainment, and they foster a carefree, leave-your-worries-behind-for-nine-innings atmosphere. If you don't have fun here, it's on you not them.

WOULD I WANT THIS TO BE MY TEAM'S HOME BALLPARK? - this is not a place for introverts so I'm not sure haha!