Palm Beach Atlantic University

Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus

A permanent home for Sailfish athletics is on the horizon in the form of a 76-acre Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus at 3401 Parker Avenue in West Palm Beach  — just a short drive from Palm Beach Atlantic University. The campus, located between I-95 and Parker Avenue just north of Southern Boulevard, will provide facilities for training and hosting intercollegiate and intramural and club sport competitions. 

Amenities

Varsity athletes, intramural participants and Sailfish fans will benefit from this incomparable Athletic Campus. The Athletic Campus will include:

• A lighted competition baseball field with bleacher seating, dugouts, batting cage and scorers pavilion.
• Soccer fields, including a lighted competiton soccer field  with bleacher seating, a scorers pavilion, plus lighted practice soccer fields (3).
• A lighted competition softball field with bleacher seating, dugouts, batting cage and a scorers pavilion.
• The Mitch Gornto Tennis Center with 12 match courts and a championship court.
• Outdoor basketball courts (2).
• Racquetball courts (2).
• Sand volleyball courts (2).
• Concessions, restrooms and locker rooms.
• An 11-acre community park.

History

John and Shelia Rinker

PBA purchased the parcel of land at the former Hillcrest Property for $3.1 million from Palm Beach County. A ballgame-themed groundbreaking ceremony was held April 4, 2008.

On hand were distinguished guests, including PBA and city officials, Sailfish Club members as well as the late Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter, who was chair of PBA’s Blue Ribbon Committee, which has overseen the strategic planning of the campus since its inception.

In December 2010, PBA announced the largest gift to support Sailfish athletics in program history with a $4 million gift from the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Foundation for construction of the new campus. In recognition of the generosity of the foundation and trustees John and Sheila Rinker (right), the campus has been named in honor of Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker.

Parker Avenue Consortium

PBA has engaged in a community partnership called the Parker Avenue Consortium, which benefits the families living in the vicinity of the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus. The Parker Avenue Consortium is a means to bring resources together to benefit kindergarten through university students and their families, and ultimately bringing a renewed vitality to the neighborhood. Read More ...