🔒Q&A with Charles Steinberg: Keeping Polar Park fresh

The Worcester Red Sox have entered their sixth season at Polar Park following the team’s move from Pawtucket in 2021. As the novelty of a new ballpark fades, WooSox President Charles Steinberg said the organization’s challenge is to continually evolve the fan experience, from new amenities and offseason events to listening closely to what fans and local businesses want from the ballpark and surrounding district.

How has this season gone so far?

It’s gotten off to a wonderful start. People seemed genuinely excited to have Roger Clemens at Polar Park, especially with the connection between his “Rocket” nickname and Worcester inventor Robert Goddard around the 100th anniversary of Goddard’s rocket launch. Given how cold the early part of the season was, we’ve been very pleased and grateful with attendance. More people came out than during this same stretch last year. Part of our job is figuring out what might prevent someone from coming to the ballpark and solving for it. If it’s 38 degrees in April, what can we do to make people comfortable enough to still say yes to a night at the ballpark?

How do you keep the ballpark experience fresh?

In many markets, the novelty of a new ballpark fades after a few years. Our goal has always been to defy that gravity. That’s why 2025 was so meaningful to us. We had more people come to the ballpark than in 2024. That told us the experience was still growing rather than plateauing. A lesson Larry Lucchino taught us when we opened Camden Yards in Baltimore was that eventually the newness wears off. At that point, what keeps people coming back is service. He literally stretched out his fingers and said, “Service, service, service, service, service.” That philosophy has guided us ever since.

What are some of the biggest changes to Polar Park?

The evolution has been constant. When we opened in 2021, there was no berm, no Summit Street or Plymouth Street activation, no Taste of Worcester, no WooSox Market, no WooSox Hall of Fame, no Royal Wooters Club, and no canopy over the Hanover Deck. Now the Hanover Deck has heaters and weather protection, which helps on cold nights in April and May and even shields fans from the July sun. The Royal Wooters Club gave season ticket holders a warm indoor gathering place during games. That became especially important during colder weather. Every year we ask ourselves: What else can we do to make the experience better for families, especially parents bringing younger children?

How many of those decisions come directly from fans?

A tremendous amount. When we were designing Polar Park, we held 21 fan planning meetings and collected 877 ideas from fans. I still carry around the notebook from those meetings. You listen to your market. Fans will tell you what they want. One example was George’s Coney Island hot dogs. Fans brought it up repeatedly during the planning process. At first, it was just going to be a small cart or kiosk. Now it’s one of our most popular food items in the ballpark. Sometimes a great idea only gets mentioned once, and sometimes you hear the same thing over and over. Over time, you develop a feel for what will resonate.

How important are families to the WooSox business model?

They’re central to it. We spend a tremendous amount of energy thinking through the eyes of a 4 year old or a 7 year old, and through the eyes of their parents. When a family decides whether or not to come to the ballpark, cleanliness, warmth, friendliness, and comfort matter enormously. Moms and dads are making decisions about where to spend their time and money, and we take that responsibility seriously. Our job is to remove as many barriers as possible and make the answer become, “Yes, let’s go to the ballgame.”

How regional is your fan base?

Much broader than many people realize. Every game-day meeting, our staff reviews where groups are coming from, and it’s remarkable. Fans are traveling from all across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and beyond. We’ve sold tickets in all 50 states and have tracked fans from at least a dozen countries. That matters for Worcester because those visitors are eating in restaurants, staying in hotels, and spending time downtown before and after games. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Editor Brad Kane.