DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Fans will be back in Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach this week for the first time since the pandemic — but it’s not to watch a baseball game.

The home of the Daytona Tortugas has sat empty for the past six weeks as baseball season is on hold indefinitely. 

But this Friday, the gates are opening and fans will be flooding back, an event that Tortugas Assistant General Manager Austin Scher can’t wait for.  

“We are excited to be, to our knowledge the first Minor League ballpark to reopen to fans in this manner since the global pandemic has struck... and more than anything, we want to be that community beacon that we always strive to be,” he said.

After assessing their options, Scher says the team decided on hosting a movie night — showing 42: The Jackie Robinson Story on the very diamond where he broke the color barrier decades ago.

The field will be divided into socially-distanced squares, marking the first time fans can sit on the turf.

“We’ll have 10-by-10 or 10-by-20 family spaces set out where up to four or eight people, respectively, can spread themselves out. Bring a flat-bottomed lawn chair or a blanket. Sit out on historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark’s field," Scher said. Given the distances apart and the ballpark's size, about 900 people are estimated to be able to fit on the field.

The team is putting several protocols in place to make sure families stay safe and comfortable, like placing hand sanitizing stations across the park, and making sure social distancing is maintained.

Scher wants this to be a safe outlet for those who have been cooped up.

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase yet again that we are more than baseball. The Daytona Tortugas and Jackie Robinson Ballpark mean more than the crack of a bat or a stolen base or a safe at home moment. We exist for the community," he said.

The Tortugas face an uncertain future. In November, they were listed as one of the 42 minor-league teams that Major League Baseball is considering cutting ties with.

“Even though baseball is not back just yet, we want to showcase that Jackie Robinson Ballpark is back and is open for business, and we are not going anywhere in the face of all these rumors and controversies swirling,” Scher said. “We just want this to be an example event for not just other minor league teams, but hopefully the other folks at Major League Baseball are able to see what we can do.”

Anyone interested in buying tickets can go to the Daytona Tortugas' website. Once they are sold out, Scher said no more will be added for safety reasons.