08AstrosOpening day for Fayetteville’s unnamed Class A Houston Astros baseball team is 16 months away, but general manager David Lane is already at work with Astros brass figuring out ticket opportunities for the club’s future fans.

For $250, fans can join the new team’s Founders Club and take advantage of an assortment of perks when the time to play games in 2019 draws closer.

Founders Club members get priority seating reservations as soon as season tickets are available.

Lane said the cost of those tickets will range from $500 to $1,100 for 70 home games. The top-priced seats are at what’s called the club level, and there will only be 100 of those available, he added.

Those season ticket prices will be locked in for two years for Founders Club members, Lane said. They’ll also get their name engraved on a brick that will be placed at the stadium’s front gate. Club members will also get a gift item and a VIP invitation to a “first look” experience.

There will be six suites in the new stadium, which will come with 20 tickets per suite for a single game.

Lane said four of the suites will likely be sold for the season to corporate sponsors or any group that is willing to pay the cost for the whole year. That fee has not been determined yet, he said.

One suite will be reserved for the company or individual who purchases the naming rights for the new stadium. The sixth suite will be available for rental on a game-bygame basis to any group that doesn’t want to commit to taking a suite for the entire season.

 

Lane said the team already has a list of those interested in taking a suite for the season.

Once construction gets going on the stadium, Lane expects the construction company to place a camera on-site that fans will be able to access through a website to watch the new ball park go up.

Several major announcements are planned in April of 2018, including the color scheme for the team’s uniforms and the team nickname.

“We had some issues with colors and color schemes, but we’re close now,’’ Lane said. “We’ll have a big party to unveil the name, (we’ll) invite the general public, (and we’ll) have food and drinks and merchandise to sell.’’

While the stadium will be used mainly for the minor league team’s games, Lane said the plan is to reach out to local high schools and offer it up for use for other sports, including football and soccer.

“Anything and everything other than baseball we’re open to,’’ Lane said. Anyone with questions about the team, including the Founders Club, can contact the team in a number of ways. The temporary office is at 101 Hay St., Suite 1.

The phone number is (910) 339-1989, or you can email them at fayettevilleastros@astros.com.

Photo:  David Lane, general manager, Fayetteville minor league baseball team