Historic Wrigley Field in Chicago is the latest professional sports stadium to achieve GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA.
Built in 1914 and known as the ‘Friendly Confines’, Wrigley Field has been the home of the Chicago Cubs for more than a century. In 2004, the City of Chicago named the ballpark a Chicago Landmark, and in 2020, the site was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the US Department of the Interior. The second-oldest active Major League Baseball (MLB) ballpark averages more than 3m fans per year, and is a sought-after destination for sports enthusiasts around the world.
Additional facilities that can now display the accreditation seal include South Bend International Airport in Indiana; Venue 66 in Los Angeles, California; Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City; Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; as well as popular properties and hotels in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Greece, Austria, Spain, and the United States.
Patricia Olinger, GBAC Executive Director, said: “When a facility has an organised approach to cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention, employees have a clear picture of their roles and responsibilities. GBAC STAR accreditation helps organisations create and execute a plan for minimising risks associated with infectious agents. This makes it an ideal fit for historic places like Wrigley Field, newer hotels, and everything in between.”
