Welcome to Fitzpatrick Stadium

Fitzpatrick Stadium in 1946 just prior to its use for professional baseball. (Portland Public Library)

By Rob McLaughlin

Exciting developments were announced this month as the Hearts of Pine shared they will soon be starting projects to bring our new home, Fitzpatrick Stadium, up to USL League One standards. The road to Fitzy has been a long one for the club and discussions about the use of the site have occurred since the team announced stadium options in 2021. Early plans included having the club build a soccer-specific stadium on the peninsula but after a suitable site proved difficult to locate, the team dedicated itself wholeheartedly to Fitzpatrick. Negotiations to lease the field took over a year and a half as the city and club hashed out the details. Finally, in November of last year, the Portland City Council approved a 10-year lease agreement with the club. As part of that lease agreement, the Hearts pledged at least $1 million dollars to make these improvements to the storied venue. 

Originally named Portland Stadium, the stadium was built in 1929 on the footprint of an established recreation field called Richardson Field. Because of the growth of youth sports at the local schools, a dedicated facility was needed to host nearby Portland High School. The stadium opened in 1930 and offered facilities for gridiron football, track & field, and baseball. In 1931 bleachers for spectators were added to supplant the existing grandstand making its early capacity slightly above 8,000. Interestingly, Hearts of Pine will not be the first professional team to use the grounds, in the late 1940s Portland’s minor league Baseball team, the Portland Pilots, used the field for home games. In 1949, this team was only the second professional sports team in Portland history to bring home a league championship (the first, the Portland Duffs played at Kennedy Park). In addition to professional sports, the field has long been associated with Portland High School, and in 1989 the city chose to rename the stadium in honor of James J. Fitzpatrick, a semi-pro baseball player who had a long career as a multi-sport coach for Portland High School teams. Today, Fitzpatrick Stadium hosts the Hearts, Portland High School athletics, and other local amateur teams. 

According to a recent article in the Portland Press Herald, several projects are underway to bring the field up to USL League One standards. Before the team-funded renovations, the last major projects undertaken at Fitzy were a bleacher change-out in 2012 and a turf and track replacement in 2015. One of the primary drivers of these upgrades is the need to have the field ready to televise games. All USL League One games have been carried on either ESPN+ or CBS this season. To that end, the lighting systems and the press box are slated for important upgrades to support live broadcasts. Another key feature being added (for game-going fans at least) will be the addition of a limited number of enhanced seats that will include seat-backs for a more comfortable match-day experience. To improve the experience for our players, the team will also be building 2 new locker rooms 1 of which, the away locker room, will also be able to be used by other local sports teams. By far, the most expensive addition to the field will be the replacement of the turf with a brand-new turf over a bed of shock pads. These pads help to reduce the risk of injury to athletes who hit the field by providing superior cushioning to a traditional turf field. All told, Hearts of Pine President Kevin Schohl stated recently in the Press Herald he expects the team to spend over their $1 million obligation to the City.  

The Club has also communicated to the Dirigo Union that the north-side stand (closest to the highway) will be the designated supporters section. This section will also be conveniently located next to the Bissell Brothers Beer Garden which will be open during every home match. Bissell Brothers, a long-time supporter of the USL to Portland movement, was announced as the club’s first official partner earlier in June. The Dirigo Union’s Match Day Experience Committee is already hard at work to prepare to make the supporter’s section, and the rest of Fitzpatrick Stadium, the fortress we want it to be. If you want to get involved in planning for what game days will look like at Fitzy, you can sign up for the Match Day Experience Committee here.