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Matt Gifford
Matt Gifford

First Springfield Cards GM promoted to majors

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The Springfield Cardinals’ vice president and general manager since 2004 is headed to the big leagues.

The major league team promoted Gifford — who’s led the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals since it moved to Springfield — to vice president of stadium operations. In Springfield, Gifford is succeeded by Dan Reiter, vice president of sales and marketing, according to a news release.

“I’d like to thank all of my co-workers throughout the past 13 years for being the best staff in Minor League Baseball,” Gifford said in the release. “I am very excited for Dan in his new role and know that he and the staff will continue to provide the best in family fun for our fans while they enjoy watching the future of Cardinals baseball."

In St. Louis, Gifford succeeds Joe Abernathy, who became vice president of facility planning and engineering. Gifford is tasked with leading all stadium operations, including security, groundskeeper work and guest services.

Nearly midway through the season, the Springfield Cardinals rank second in the Texas League’s north region with 35 wins and 36 losses, according to MILB.com.

Attendance for the Cardinals — which won the Texas League championship in 2012 — has waned since its first season in 2005.

Last year’s 316,990 people through Hammons Field’s gates marked the lowest season total in the team’s history. Its attendance high of 526,630 people was posted during its inaugural season, but it has generally trended downward since, averaging roughly 5,000 people per game. So far this season, attendance has totaled 150,373. That’s the second-lowest attendance in the eight-team Texas League, above the Midland RockHounds, according to MILB.com.

New GM Reiters is working to grow attendance through promotions such as Big Mac Land, a partnership with McDonald’s of the Ozarks. That’s in addition to ticket packages, fireworks shows and giveaways, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

“As we look to the future, it is our promise to continue to grow our fan-first approach to creating new Cardinals memories,” Reiters said in the release.

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