Fesken Field

Monument to William Fesken in front of the 2003 clubhouse and snack stand, Aug-2015.

Looking back in at the artificial-turf field and clubhouse from down the right-field line.

The field provides gorgeous views of lower Manhattan. This rainbow appeared in Jul-2007.

• Location: River and 5th Streets, Hoboken, N.J. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: Unknown (renovated 2003)
• Home team: Hoboken Little League

Little League took hold here in the 1950s, much as it did elsewhere in New Jersey, and this plot of land adjacent to Stevens Institute of Technology and (at the time) above a riverfront rail line was carved out for youth baseball.

The facility received a huge upgrade in 2003, with the erection of a new clubhouse and the installation of artificial turf. Stadium seating was also installed on both the first and third base sides. Since then, the Hoboken Little League has hosted numerous tournament games at the site along with its regular schedule.

The only drawback here is limited parking. Hoboken’s population has grown by more than half in the last two decades, with over 50,000 people crammed into 1.27 square miles. This naturally puts parking at a premium, and the Hoboken Parking Utility is not shy to enforce regulations designed to enhance parking opportunities for residents. The good news is that the field is within walking distance of the old Lackawanna Terminal, used as a terminus by NJ Transit. The walk from the terminal to the field is about ten minutes.

The facility is dedicated to Sgt. William Fesken, a local resident who died in service during the Vietnam War in 1967.

In 2016, the League dedicated an indoor batting cage facility down the third-base line to Maria Pepe, who joined the League as an 11-year-old player in 1972. Pepe’s player application, like those of several girls before her in New Jersey and nationwide, was rejected by Little League headquarters because the program as established was only for boys. A two-year lawsuit led to Little League opening its programs to girls (and also establishing a softball division), but Pepe had become too old to play in her local league by the time the case was settled.