The Salt Lake Sting was a professional soccer team based in Salt Lake City , Utah . They played in the American Professional Soccer League . The club was originally owned by Jack Donovan, who was also the head of the ownership group for Salt Lake City's minor league baseball team of the era, the Salt Lake Trappers . The Sting lasted parts of two seasons, but financial concerns caused league officials to shut the franchise down in midseason on July 5, 1991.
6-502: The Sting played their short career at Derks Field , a minor-league baseball stadium. The field was laid out in the outfield, and a portion of the field was dirt because it was the infield portion of the baseball diamond. Nearly 10,000 fans attended the first game in April, 1990. The club averaged 5,400 attendees over the 13 games of the first season. This thrilled the ownership as they were hoping to average 2,500. A crowd of 9,439 watched
12-586: The construction of the new Community Park, the Bonneville stands were taken down and reassembled at the new site. Destroyed by arson on the night of September 24, 1946, it reopened in May 1947, and was expanded in 1958 with the return of the PCL. Major League Baseball teams occasionally played exhibition games at Derks Field, including the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1964 Milwaukee Braves . The field
18-847: The final game against the San Diego Nomads . The Sting ended the season with a 12-8 record and second place in the Western Soccer League conference. They were knocked out of the playoffs by the Colorado Foxes 2-1 and 4-1. George Pastor was the second leading scorer and Derek Sanderson was the fifth leading scorer in the APSL. Director Fred Gray had high hopes for the 1991 season with new coach Valery Volostnykn. The new squad returned leading scorer George Pastor and added local talent Steve Sengelmann of Provo and goalkeeper Pat Vietti of Salt Lake . The club ended
24-463: The season with a 3-17 record and folded before the final game could be played. Fred Gray Public Relations Director/Director of Soccer Operations The team was coached by Laurie Calloway from England during their rookie season in 1990. The coach for the Salt Lake Sting in 1991 was Valery Volostnykh from Russia who previously coached at Real Santa Barbara. Derks Field Derks Field
30-532: Was 10,000. In 1940, it was named for Salt Lake Tribune sports editor John C. Derks. Derks Field had replaced the previous professional ballpark, Bonneville Park (originally called Majestic Park), which was south of 9th Street between State Street and Main Street, on the site of an amusement park called the Salt Palace , which had been destroyed by fire in 1910. It operated from 1915 through 1927. As part of
36-917: Was a minor league baseball park in the Western United States , located in Salt Lake City , Utah . It was the home field of the Salt Lake Bees , Angels, and Gulls of the Pacific Coast League , Bees, Giants, and Trappers of the Pioneer Baseball League , and the Salt Lake Sting of the American Professional Soccer League . Opened in 1928 as Community Park, the ballpark's final seating capacity
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