Quigley Stadium's Future Revealed: West Haven Seeks Partner To Revitalize Historic Ballpark
- Dominic Konareski
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
The future of one of West Haven’s most historic sports landmarks may potentially enter a new chapter. On August 25th, the City of West Haven formally issued a Request for Proposals seeking potential public-priviate partnerships to redevelop and modernize Quigley Stadium, which would be in part of a sustainable long-term operating model.
The RFP, titled “Public-Private Partnership Opportunities for Quigley Memorial Stadium,” was published by the City on Tuesday. The solicitation seeks proposals from qualified organizations interested in helping to transform the 79-year-old stadium, which sits on a 7.6-acre property at 362 Front Avenue. The eventual goal is to turn the stadium into a more vibrant, financially sustainable and heavily utilized community facility.
Despite the stadium’s uncertain future in recent years, the language of the RFP makes one point particularly clear: the City of West Haven is seeking to preserve Quigley Stadium, not eliminate it.
The RFP specifically states that the solicitation is intended to identify “potential partnerships, funding opportunities, programming concepts and long-term operational models that would preserve Quigley Stadium, while also increasing public use and economic benefit to the City of West Haven.”
Constructed in 1947 by Moe Quigley for his West Haven Sailors, Quigley Stadium has had a long history as one of Connecticut’s most notable baseball venues. Satchel Paige once pitched a complete game at Quigley, while the-then very young and unknown Willie Mays played a full game there. Quigley Stadium would be home of the Double-AA West Haven Yankees, a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees that won 4 Eastern League Championships in a span from 1972-79. After the Yankees pulled their affiliation, Quigley Stadium would continue to be home to minor league baseball from 1980-82 under a Double-AA affiliation with the Athletics, winning a single EL championship.
The document describes Quigley as an “iconic piece of West Haven’s history” and calls for its preservation for future generations.
Save Quigley Stadium Project founder and local sports historian Dominic Konareski told the New York Sports Show “This is the biggest development in hopes to revitalize Quigley Stadium in years, potentially even a decade or two.” Konareski also stated that “West Haven baseball history runs deep, and Quigley Stadium is a large thanks to that,” while adding “This is a step in the right direction and I thank Mayor Borer and the City of West Haven for this effort.”
(DISCLAIMER: Dominic Konareski is the author of this article)
The City envisions the facility becoming a regional destination capable of attracting visitors, tournaments and sporting events while creating additional economic activity for the surrounding community of Allingtown.
Rather than functioning primarily as a traditional baseball stadium, the facility could eventually operate as a broader multi-purpose sports and community complex, with baseball remaining an important part of its identity and usage.
As for those concerned about the future of baseball at Quigley, the RFP provides several indications that the sport remains firmly within the City’s plans for its future.
The document also calls for potential improvements that are directly related to baseball, including field reconstruction and the improvement of batting cages and the field as a whole.
The City is even asking potential partners to evaluate whether the playing surface should remain natural grass or transition to synthetic turf.
Potential funding options listed in the RFP include private capital investment, naming rights agreements, corporate sponsorships, sports tourism and recreation development funding, public-private partnerships, long-term lease arrangements and facility partnerships. A future agreement could potentially allow a private organization, nonprofit, sports organization or other entity to invest in and/or operate the facility without the City necessarily selling the property.
However, the RFP itself does not establish what the eventual partnership structure will look like.
The City has outlined an extensive list of potential improvements that respondents may consider.
Those improvements include reconstruction of the playing field, new or improved irrigation and drainage systems, evaluation of synthetic turf versus natural grass, renovated stadium seating, ADA accessibility upgrades and improvements to restrooms and concession facilities.
The City is also seeking ideas for renovating the press box and replacing the scoreboard.
Additional possibilities include LED lighting, parking improvements, security systems, Wi-Fi infrastructure, sound systems, locker rooms, batting cages, walking paths and improved landscaping. For a stadium that has stood in West Haven since 1947, the proposed changes could represent one of the most significant periods of transformation in its history.
Organizations interested in participating have until September 17, 2026, at noon to submit their responses. Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by September 8 at 2 p.m.
After the submission deadline, the City will evaluate the proposals.
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