Municipal Stadium is a stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 in Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...

. The stadium was built in 1930 originally as a dog track which attributes to its unique, if not odd, layout. It holds 6,000 people. It is somewhat unique that it only has permanent stands along the first base line, while bleachers lie along the third base side.

History

It was home to minor league baseball for the majority of its existence, beginning in 1947 with the Colonial League and from 1966 to 1986 with the AA Eastern League as an affiliate of the Dodgers, Reds, Giants, Indians, Pirates, A's, and Angels. The stadium has been home to a few historic events also, woman's softball pitcher Joan Joyce

Joan Joyce

Joan Joyce is the softball coach at Florida Atlantic University, following a record-setting career as a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes...

 struck out Ted Williams

Ted Williams

Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...

, Dom DiMaggio

Dom DiMaggio

Dominic Paul DiMaggio , nicknamed "The Little Professor", was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox...

, and Johnny Pesky

Johnny Pesky

John Michael Pesky , nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was a Major League Baseball shortstop, third baseman, and manager. During a 10-year career, he played in 1942 and from 1946-1954 for three different teams. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War...

, in order, in the stadium, and in 1947 several members of the New York Yankees including Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio

Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...

, Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

, Phil Rizzuto

Phil Rizzuto

Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

, and Spec Shea

Spec Shea

Francis Joseph "Spec" Shea was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1947-1955. He played for the New York Yankees from 1947–1951 and the Washington Senators from 1952-1955...

, played an exhibition game against the Waterbury Timers in the stadium.

In modern times, the stadium has played host to the Waterbury franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League

New England Collegiate Baseball League

The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...

 between 1994

1994 NECBL season

The 1994 NECBL season was the inaugural season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league operating in the northeastern United States region of New England...

 and 1996

1996 NECBL season

The 1996 NECBL season was the third season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league added a franchise in West Warwick, Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Reds...

. In 1997, the stadium became home to the Waterbury Spirit

North Shore Spirit

The North Shore Spirit was a minor-league baseball team based in Lynn, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. The Spirit played in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball , an independent league that is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or with the Minor League Baseball...

 which spent four seasons in the independent Northern League.

Current status

It is now primarily used for sporting events, primarily football and baseball, for most of the city's High Schools and Little Leagues. The stadium is designed more to that of a football arena, as opposed to a baseball field, and the majority of the stadium's uncovered seating lies along the first base line. In February 2009, Stamford CT. the Advocate reported growing concerns among state law-makers over the US economy, and the governing of state and local funds for maintaining and improving local stadium's such as Waterbury.