Matera Field

Dedication plaque honoring Russ Matera, Oct-2011.

A look in at the baseball field from down the third-base line.

Looking out at the ball field from behind home plate.

• Location: Marin Oval, 4 St between Marin and Page avenues, Lyndhurst, N.J.
• Opened: Unknown (renovated 1987)
• Home team: Lyndhurst High School Golden Bears, Bergen County Scholastic League (1987-2008)

In 1986, longtime Lyndhurst youth baseball coach and volunteer Russ Matera died. Town officials moved quickly to establish a suitable memorial, and they decided to renovate Marin Oval and put in a baseball field where the high school could play their home games. The Golden Bears moved in for the 1987 season, and stayed here through 2008 before moving down the hill to the new Lyndhurst Recreation Center off Valley Brook Avenue.

The field continues to be used for amateur baseball. In addition, the softball field on the opposite end of Marin Oval (nearest Marin Avenue) is now the home of Felician College softball.

In 2016, the township and its Board of Education announced plans to build a new junior high school on the Marin Oval site, selling an older school in town as well as issuing bonds to cover the cost. With the bulk of athletic activities having relocated to the Rec Center, this site was seen as the most feasible location for the new school.