McNamara Legion Field: Where Cheshire Grows Up Playing Ball
- Cheshire Today Staff
- Feb 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 11
If you’ve spent any spring or summer afternoon in Cheshire, chances are you’ve ended up at McNamara Legion Field on Wiese Road. Cleats crunching gravel, the crack of a bat, parents in folding chairs, kids chasing foul balls into the grass—it’s one of those places that feels stitched into the fabric of town life.
Located at 550 Wiese Road, McNamara Legion Field isn’t just a set of baseball diamonds. It’s a community landmark with a backstory that goes all the way back to Cheshire’s first police chief—and to the town’s long-standing belief that youth sports matter.
From Legion Field to Town Landmark
Long before it was the busy complex we know today, the land belonged to the local American Legion. Back then, it was used as a ball field, but not much more. When the Legion donated the property to the Town of Cheshire in 1977, it was described—somewhat bluntly—as a “sea of weeds and rubble.” What followed was a steady transformation into a true public park.
A year later, in 1978, the Town Council made a decision that broke tradition. Instead of naming the
park after a geographic feature, they named it after a person: McNamara Legion Field, honoring John McNamara, Cheshire’s first police chief.
John McNamara’s Lasting Impact
John McNamara Sr. served as Cheshire’s police chief from 1954 to 1978, but his influence extended far beyond law enforcement. Through his leadership in the American Legion, McNamara became a driving force behind youth baseball in town.
He helped organize and launch the American Legion baseball program, creating a structured, competitive outlet for local kids at a time when those opportunities weren’t guaranteed. He also worked tirelessly behind the scenes—raising money, advocating for facilities, and keeping programs alive during their earliest, most fragile years.
McNamara believed youth sports were more than games. As police chief, he promoted them as a positive force in the community—something that kept kids active, connected, and supported. His efforts ultimately helped pave the way for the Legion’s donation of the field to the town, ensuring it would remain a public resource for generations to come.
When McNamara retired in 1978, the Town Council recognized that legacy by naming the field in his honor—a rare and meaningful gesture in Cheshire.
That commitment to service continued in his family. His son, John “Jack” McNamara, followed him into the Cheshire Police Department and stayed active in civic groups like the Elks and VFW, organizations that continue to support youth programs throughout town.
A Home for Youth Sports
Over the decades, McNamara Legion Field has grown into the heart of youth baseball and softball in Cheshire. Today, it’s home to Cheshire Youth Baseball and Softball, along with its travel program, the Cheshire Reds.
The park now features:
Four baseball/softball diamonds.
A basketball court.
A children’s playscape.
Parking for about 95 vehicles.
In 2005, Cheshire transitioned the fields to organic land care, responding to community concerns about chemical pesticides and player safety—another example of how the park has evolved with the times.
Growing Pains in a Growing Town
With success, however, comes pressure.
Youth baseball in Cheshire has exploded in popularity. At its peak, Cheshire Youth Baseball and Softball has fielded more than 90 teams, involving over 1,100 kids. Games run weeknights, weekends, summers, and now fall seasons too. Add tournaments and travel ball, and McNamara Legion Field is busy—sometimes very busy.
That popularity has brought real challenges, especially since the complex sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Neighbors have raised concerns for years about:
Overflow parking along Wiese Road and nearby streets, cars blocking driveways and lawns, traffic congestion during peak game times and noise, including PA systems during tournaments.
As one longtime resident put it, they just want one peaceful summer day to enjoy their backyard without baseball announcements echoing across the fence.
Town officials, police, and Parks and Recreation staff have held multiple meetings with residents to try to find solutions—everything from parking restrictions and re-striping lots to scheduling changes and long-term plans for new fields elsewhere in town.
Trying to Share the Field
Field availability has also become an issue among youth sports organizations themselves.
In 2024, Cheshire faced a new wrinkle when the Cheshire Aviators, a nonprofit AAU baseball program founded in 2023, requested regular access to McNamara Legion Field. The Aviators argued that other town fields didn’t meet AAU standards, while Cheshire Youth Baseball and Softball pointed to decades of use and already-packed schedules.
After months of tension, town officials helped broker a compromise. The Aviators were granted limited practice and game time at McNamara, breaking a stalemate and underscoring a larger truth: Cheshire has a field crunch, and it’s not going away anytime soon.
As Parks and Recreation officials have noted, more families are moving to town, participation keeps rising, and existing facilities are being pushed to — and sometimes past — capacity.
Still the Heart of It All
Despite the challenges, McNamara Legion Field remains what it has always been at its core: a place where Cheshire kids learn how to play, compete, and grow.
From its roots with the American Legion, to John McNamara’s vision of youth sports as a community good, to today’s packed schedules and spirited debates, the field reflects Cheshire itself—engaged, growing, and deeply invested in its kids.
It may not always be quiet. It may not always be easy. But on any given evening, when the lights are on and the bases are set, McNamara Legion Field is still doing exactly what it was meant to do: bringing the town together, one game at a time.
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