Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 1.71
Fallon Field
4605 Lockhart St
Dublin, CA 94568
Year Opened: 2018 Capacity: 350
Dublin (CA) Leprechauns
The cleverly named Dublin Leprechauns are members of the Pecos League, an independent league of baseball played in small towns from Kansas to California. The Leprechauns, founded in 2023, are one of the newest members of the Pecos League.
They play their home games at Fallon Park, a premiere sports complex owned and operated by the City of Dublin, CA. The Leprechauns play in Ball Field G at the corner of Fallon Rd and Central Pkwy.
Food & Beverage 2
Vendors sell chips, candy, and soda from a small portable table and a blue Igloo cooler. The staff places a small electric grill on the table and cooks hot dogs on the spot.
Interestingly, a mobile bar cart (Sip Social Co) is on hand at Leprechauns games. It offers Five Suns Brewing beers (a hazy IPA, a Pilsner, and more) for $10. The cart also sells organic root beer, Mandarin Fresca Fizz, and a Zingy Spritzer ($6). Bottled water is $2. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one of those mobile bar carts. The operators kept busy the evening I attended a game.
Fans can bring in their own food and drink.
Atmosphere 2
The venue has three rows of cement seats that are inhabited by tiny ants that bite. Bring insect repellant so you won’t get the heebie-jeebies from sitting on the cement platform. Better yet, bring a seat cushion. The seating offers no shade.
An extremely thick chain link fence and poles surround the field. This makes it difficult to watch the game, but I understand it is for safety reasons.
A little, itty bitty press box is behind home plate.
As with all Pecos League teams, the home team players groom the field.
A very simple dot matrix scoreboard is in left field. It does not show a line score, and the labels are unreadable. The first base side is the Leprechauns’ side, with the visiting team taking residence in the third base dugout.
The music is way too loud to make the game enjoyable. Bring your earplugs (but even those don’t help pregame). Activities include a beer batter, a 50/50 raffle, and kids run the bases after the third inning. The team has a ‘pass the hat’ for fans to drop in a few bucks after a player hits a home run. They do it for the joy of playing. The funds from the ‘passing of the hat’ go to the player to help with expenses.
Neighborhood 2
Dublin appears to be an affluent city. The ballpark is in a residential area. Restaurants and hotels are not within walking distance.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is about a mile away. Although a chain, this is probably the closest place to go pre or post-game. Their beers are tasty. Dust Bowl Brewing is 1 ½ miles south, near some outlet shops off I-580 and Fallon Rd. A friend recommended Porky's Pizza Palace (a 12 – 15 min drive from the park) in Pleasanton. It has 32 taps, a full bar, and THE BEST fried chicken.
Hotels in Dublin are costly. A Homewood Suites and a Residence Inn are two miles south (near the Dust Bowl Brewing). For more affordable choices, you’ll want to check out Pleasanton, the next town to the west. Plenty of hotels are near the I-580.
Dublin CA does not have any tourist attractions; there’s not a whole lot to see and do. You’ll need to travel a short distance for that. The good news is that the town is close to Oakland, San Francisco, and an hour’s drive to San Jose.
For other baseball and sports to visit in the area, check out the San Jose Giants, Oakland Athletics (at least for now), Oakland Ballers, and Martinez Sturgeon. Cross over the bay and catch a Vallejo Seaweed or San Rafael Pacifics baseball game. Soccer fans will enjoy a Bay FC or a San Jose Earthquakes game, about a 40-minute drive away.
Fans 1
Attendance usually runs 35 – 75 fans. The temperature often is a huge factor in the number of fans at a game; the hotter it is, the fewer fans show up.
On the evening I attended, a much larger group was in attendance, but most were there for a corporate party event. Those fans were rude and were oblivious to fans who wanted to watch the game, standing right in front of them and blocking the view of the game. They didn’t care about the game but just socialized without a clue or care of the real fans. It’s a shame I attended on a night like that.
I’ve been told the ardent 35 – 75 regular fans know to bring cushions and a cooler and are much more respectful.
Access 3
I recommend parking in the south or lower fields parking lot off Central Pkwy. Parking is free. The lot even has an EV charger. However, it’s a nightmare getting out after the game with all the other activities occurring at the park.
The closest commercial airport is San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK), about 22 miles west. Visitors can take the BART (blue line) to Pleasanton, then take the number 2 bus to the sports complex. However, the bus doesn’t operate in the evenings or on the weekends, so public transportation is not an option for most games.
The sports complex has serviceable restrooms near the baseball field.
Return on Investment 1
Tickets are $13/general admission to sit on cement with no shade. Senior discounts are not given. That’s $3 (or 30%) more than other teams in the Pecos League Pacific Division. It’s too much and not worth it. Go to an Oakland Ballers or a Martinez, Vallejo, or San Rafael Pecos League game instead if needing a baseball fix.
Parking is free and the food and drink prices are decent.
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Extras 1
The mobile bar cart (Sip Social Co) the Leprechauns employ for their games deserves an extra mention.
Final Thoughts
I don’t recommend making a special trip to watch a Dublin Leprechauns game. If, however, you are in the area in the summer, stop by and watch a game. Then share your thoughts on the experience.
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