'Field of Dreams' Ballpark Investor
Matthew Perry is fulfilling a dream.
The former Friends and current Go On star has joined a group of investors as part of Go the Distance Baseball, LLC, a private investment and holding company that owns the Dyersville, Iowa site used in the Field of Dreams movie.
The investment group includes backing from Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, of whom Perry is a fan.
Through Perry’s investment, All-Star Ballpark Heaven, a national youth baseball and softball tournament and training campus located next to the ballpark, will be completed by 2014.
“Field of Dreams has always been one of my favorite movies and having a chance to do just about anything with Wade Boggs is a dream come true for me,” said Perry. “I’m looking forward to helping make this a place where young ball players from all over the country can come and make their dreams come true, too. And, if we hear voices coming from the cornfields we’ll be sure to follow any and all instructions.”
“Our group is attracting future Field of Dreams movie site lovers to a beautiful nirvana we are creating for children ages 8-14 several acres away from the iconic tourism destination,” said Denise Stillman, president and CEO of Go the Distance Baseball. “Matthew’s dedication to creating a wonderful legacy to benefit children mirrors that of my own, so I am very excited and the entire investment group is thrilled about having him on board.”
In October, Go the Distance filed a lawsuit against the Residential & Agricultural Advisory Committee, a local coalition of neighbors trying to stop the $38 million project. In the lawsuit, the company alleged tortious interference and defamation. According to the Associated Press, a judge is considering dismissing the lawsuit.
A “Save the Field of Dreams” Facebook page was created on behalf of Dyersville residents about Go the Distance’s “expansive project” that “will adversely affect the town, the beloved filming location and the surrounding environment.”
The Field of Dreams site was built in 1988 by Universal for the 1989 movie starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones. It grossed $84.4 million in worldwide box office.
An avid sports fan, Perry currently plays sportscaster Ryan King on Go On. Previous projects, like Mr. Sunshine, have had strong sports components.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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