ZION — Lake County Fielders’ assistant general manager Mike Beauvais learned something new while meeting with a group of local, youth baseball coaches a few weeks ago.

With area fans typically divided in their allegiance to the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, Beauvais was interested in finding out their favorite place to watch a game.

Was it Miller Park? Wrigley Field perhaps?

“I asked them where they take their kids to learn from the pros and they kind of just scratched their heads,” said Beauvais, who spoke at the team’s Business and Baseball Luncheon at the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center on Wednesday. “Most of them told me they usually just watch the games on TV. It really saddened me.”

The Fielders, the area’s newest professional baseball team, hope to provide local families a fun and affordable place to watch baseball. The team recently broke ground on its 8,000-seat, state-of-the-art, $17 million stadium, located in Zion just south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border on Green Bay Road.

The Fielders are expected to begin play in June of 2010 and compete in the indepedent Northern League.

While most professional baseball is centered around the action on the field, the Northern League is famous for its on-field promotions, celebrity appearances and whacky contests.

Fielders’ general manager Ben Burke expects to draw more than 300,000 fans next season.

“Outside of baseball, we’re going to entertain people in 100 other ways,” Fielders’ general manager Ben Burke said. “We’ll have pre-game entertainment and promotions during every half inning.

“Whether it’s a giant hamster ball knocking over bowling pins, people dressed up in sumo outfits or the world’s largest, dizzy bat race. We’re going to be entertaining before the game all the way to the ninth inning with post-game fireworks and concerts as well. We want this to be the place where people can come out and enjoy their summer. Hopefully, we’ll play some good baseball too.”

Beauvais said he believes the team is just what the area needed.

“There really wasn’t an entertainment destination and now there finally is one,” Beauvais said. “We’re excited for the folks in Kenosha.”