Manchester aldermen voted Tuesday night to approve the sale of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to Diamond Baseball Holdings LLC.
A simple majority vote by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen was required to ratify the sale — first announced last month — under the terms of the 2005 Amended and Restated Management and Operations Agreement.
Aldermen unanimously approved the sale on a voice vote.
Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) owns or is in the process of acquiring 29 teams across the country, including Boston’s Single-A affiliate in Salem, Virginia, and its Double-A team, the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs. DBH announced recently it also is buying the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, Mass.
The team’s lease with the city of Manchester runs through the 2035 season, with a pending proposal to extend it through 2039.
On Nov. 24, Attorney Robert H. Miller, counsel to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, notified City Solicitor Emily Rice via letter that NH Triple Play LLC had entered into an agreement to sell the team to DBH, which started the clock on the city’s 60-day due diligence period referenced in Paragraph 17 of the 2016 Amendment to the Agreement.
During this due diligence period (which expires on Jan. 23), representatives of DBH have met with new Mayor Jay Ruais and city department heads — including Finance Director Sharon Wickens — sharing financial materials that show DBH has the resources to cover all of NH Triple Play’s contractual obligations to Manchester.
In a Jan. 10 letter to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, DBH agreed to “assume and honor existing contractual commitments between the Fisher Cats and the City of Manchester.”
“We are confident that Diamond Baseball Holdings will be both a great steward for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and a wonderful partner for the city going forward,” Miller wrote in a memo to Manchester aldermen. “In that spirit, we ask the Board for its vote to approve this sale.”
In his own letter to city aldermen, Henry Shepherd, DBH’s head of mergers and acquisitions, wrote that DBH is committed to the concept of a “highly localized ownership approach.”
Shepherd also stated DBH plans to use Delta Dental Stadium more frequently for events like concerts, winter festivals, youth carnivals, youth sports events, and more.
“DBH strives to be a valued partner in its municipalities, and to that end, we are dedicated to investing in the Manchester community by maintaining and growing the Fisher Cats Foundation,” Shepherd wrote. “DBH’s strong track record of rapid club integration, along with our commitment to the local management team’s continued leadership of the Fisher Cats, will ensure a smooth transition, high employee morale, and the maintenance of our strong existing corporate and community partnerships. DBH will maintain local control in Manchester through its strong recommitment to existing leadership, and DBH plans to maintain the existing staff in place at the club.”
In his letter, Shepherd also said DBH will assume and honor existing contractual commitments between the Fisher Cats and the city.
“We have considerable experience stepping into existing contractual agreements and quickly building valuable partnerships with municipalities,” Shepherd wrote. “DBH was originally attracted to the Fisher Cats by the combination of the robust Manchester market, the superb Delta Dental Stadium, the quality of the local management team, and the city’s demonstrated commitment to the team. We are committed to growing all of these key relationships.”
Last year, the Fisher Cats drew 236,809 fans, averaging 3,947 per game, which ranked them 19th among Double-A teams, according to Ballpark Digest. In 2022, the club averaged 4,346 per game.
