HooverMetropolitan Stadium aka The Hoover Met is a former minor league baseball park located in the Birmingham, Alabama, USA, suburb of Hoover. It was home of the Birmingham Barons of the Southern League from 1988 to 2012, replacing historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham. The stadium also serves as the home for the SEC Baseball Tournament, as well as the primary home for Hoover High School football. It is located in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area near Interstate 459 at Exit 10 just off Alabama State Route 150. The stadium is located three miles from the Riverchase Galleria, one of the south's largest shopping centers. The seating capacity is 10,800 for baseball and can accommodate up to 16,000 when the patio, banquet, and grassy side areas are used. The stadium also houses 12 suites and state-of-the-art dressing and training rooms. The stadium also features a meeting/banquet room named for Michael Jordan, who played for the Barons during his brief foray into professional baseball, during which time the stadium experienced its largest crowds for professional baseball. The City of Hoover operates the stadium and an adjacent recreational vehicle park. The Hoover Met hosted the AVP Birmingham Open on July 13–16, 2006, the first beach volleyball tournament to ever be played in Alabama. The feature court was above the baseball diamond as well as eight other courts on the field, made of 222 tons of sand per court. The stadium also played host to the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Along with Birmingham city officials, the Barons announced plans in November 2010 to return to Birmingham with a new field to be constructed downtown, near the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus. Pending contract negotiations and construction, play at the new field was originally expected to begin with the 2012 season. Due to site selection, financing issues, and problems obtaining all of the land sought by the developers the move was delayed until the 2013 season. On December 20, 2012, the City of Hoover announced a change in name changing the name of the ballpark back to its original name, "The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium". The name change took effect on January 1, 2013. The Hoover Met hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2015 season while its on-campus stadium in Tuscaloosa, Sewell–Thomas Stadium, underwent major renovations. As part of the agreement, outfield fences were moved in to more closely match the dimensions of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, home of the College World Series. The new configuration remained in place for the 2015 Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament.
