Banana Ball arrives at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex this weekend — May 29 and 30 — when the Loco Beach Coconuts face the Party Animals at The Stadium in the first-ever Banana Ball games played at Walt Disney World. The fields will be ready. They always are. And the reason for that is a team of cast members who have been getting it done since opening day.
The Disney Parks Blog spotlighted that team this week — officially called the Sportscape crew, an internal name combining sports and landscape. Year-round, they maintain more than 30 playing surfaces across the 260-plus acre complex: 17 multi-purpose fields, 12 baseball and softball diamonds, one baseball stadium, and a full track and field complex. That footprint supports nearly 300,000 athletes and more than 800,000 spectators across 50-plus events every year.
We covered the Loco Beach Coconuts announcement last October when Disney and the Banana Ball Championship League confirmed the two-day series at ESPN Wide World of Sports. It marked the first time the fan-first Banana Ball format — known for trick plays, choreographed dances, and a fast-paced theatrical atmosphere — would be played at the Disney World complex.
Standard tickets start at $35 through BananaBall.com. Fans can also check the ESPN Wide World of Sports site directly, as some Disney ticket packages including the Water Park and Sports option and Park Hopper Plus provide access to the complex.
The cast behind the fields. John Bolger has been caring for the ESPN Wide World of Sports turf since the first baseball game played there in 1997 — a 36-year cast member whose connection to Disney started with his mother, who was also part of the cast. Turf Manager and Horticulture Manager Maryanne Baglos leads the broader team. In 27 years at Disney, she has built a culture around celebrating the craftsmanship of her crew, saying that when she takes pride in their work, they take pride in it too. Field Manager Willie Congrove, a 40-year cast member, has watched his own children compete on these same fields over the decades. The Sportscape team is actively prepping The Stadium right now for the Banana Ball games.
The complex turns 30 next year, and the cast who have kept it running through nearly three decades of tournaments, championships, and community events are the reason it arrives at that milestone in the shape it is in. For the latest Walt Disney World news, stay with Fantasy Land News. More Walt Disney World coverage: Walt Disney World News.
