Dutchess Stadium, which has been home to the Hudson Valley Renegades baseball team since it opened in 1994, has been renamed Heritage Financial Park as the result of Heritage Financial Credit Union acquiring naming rights to the stadium. Heritage is based in Middletown in Orange County. The Renegades are the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
In late 2021, the Hudson Valley Renegades entered into an agreement to become a part of Diamond Baseball Holdings. Diamond is a subsidiary of Endeavor, the global sports and entertainment company that in addition to sports team ownership and other businesses is involved in talent representation. The team’s previous owner was the Goldklang Group.
The stadium is on 21 acres on Route 9D in the Town of Fishkill. When it opened for its first season of baseball in 1994, the stadium had not been completed. It wasn’t until 1996 that the clubhouse was finished. The stadium’s construction cost totaled $8,294,264.69 according to a Dutchess County document.
The new name for the stadium was announced during a March 21 event that featured the team’s management, representatives of Heritage Financial, county officials and other guests.
“We understand what it is to rename a facility that has had one name over the last 29 years,” Tyson Jeffers, general manager of the Renegades, said. “We want to make sure that it’s done right. It was crucial for us to find an organization that is going to be active and engaged in the partnership from day one and is going to be active and engaged in the partnership 10 years down the road, one that’s rooted in the Hudson Valley and serves the people that we serve, that is aligned with our mission to create magical experiences that become lifelong memories for our entire community.”
Jeffers said a goal is to make the stadium a premier venue for the Hudson Valley.
“I’d like to welcome all of you to Heritage Financial Park,” Jeffers said, just before taking down black drapes to reveal the Heritage Financial Credit Union, Renegades and Heritage Financial Park logos.
“A park by definition is a community gathering place that hosts a number of different types of events. It’s also a space that is accessible to all people,” Jeffers said. “As in the past, Heritage Financial Park will host more than just Renegades’ baseball games. It will host events like graduations, concerts and cupcake festivals, comedy shows, wrestling events and many other unique events bringing many, many people to this facility and to our area.”
Michael Ciriello, president and CEO of Heritage, said, “We are so pleased to partner with the Renegades as this new partnership closely aligns with our mission and further supports our community development outreach strategies. We are beyond excited about this new opportunity to work closely with the Renegades to help positively impact the lives of those in our communities.”
Ciriello said that some of the joint efforts planned with the team for 2023 include: home runs for charity in which a charitable donation is made in the local area for each home run that’s hit; education days; renovating a local Little League team’s playing field; recognizing up to six community members for their special public service; honoring outstanding student athletes; and more.
Kenneth Affeldt, Heritage’s chairman of the board, said,“It’s been a long seven months (of negotiations) but it’s well worth it. Let’s play ball.”
Dutchess County Executive William F.X. O’Neil said, “When you look back, thousands of families and fans have enjoyed countless memories in this park. The county has made a lot of improvements in this stadium. You’ve seen some of them — the seating, lights, we put a field in there, we’re working on parking. This is a valuable asset in our county park system.”
O’Neil said that the naming rights arrangement has a financial component, which will bring funds to the county that will offset some operating expenses and capital investments over time. He didn’t specify the funding amount but said it will also ensure that the park continues to be a great place for family fun and the enjoyment of baseball and other events.
