Let There Be Light: Bonac Athletes To Play Night Games at New Stephen Hands Path Field

East Hampton High School athletes will have the chance to play under the lights this year, now that the town government has cut the ribbon on a new multi-use field on Stephen Hands Path.

The field is located at the Fred W. Thiele Jr. Recreational Facility in Wainscott. Onsite, there are two turf baseball diamonds, two batting cages, two multipurpose fields, a small basketball court, two volleyball courts and a walking trail.

In February, the town broke ground on the project, and just last week, members of the Town Board, Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni, Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker and officials from the Recreation and Planning departments gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The field features LED light fixtures, which will enable evening practices and games for school athletes.

The East Hampton School District is in the process of finalizing a deal with the town to use the fields for school sports. While the date of the first match at the facility is unclear pending finalization, East Hampton Athletic Director Kathy Masterson said the high school football team’s homecoming game against Wyandanch on September 26 is slated to be under the lights at the new field.

“The kids wanted a game under the lights, so we wanted to give them that,” Masterson said.

Right now, the high school complex does not have any fields with lights, which Masterson said can be a hindrance when other teams can’t get to East Hampton in time. So, the district plans to use the facility for a variety of sports, including football, soccer and field hockey.

Beyond that, some teams play “back-to-back,” and in those instances, the fields will allow more flexibility for junior varsity teams, which will no longer have to rush off the field to make way for the varsity teams.

Masterson expressed gratitude for the efforts of Town Councilman David Lys and Recreation Superintendent John Rooney.

“It’s an amazing testament that the town is doing this, and we’re really excited to partner with them and help support this,” Masterson said. “It’s another benefit for our kids.”

From the perspective of the students, the new field presents an exciting opportunity to return to sports under the lights, particularly the football team.

“It’s something the boys have wanted,” Masterson said. “When we did it with the old lights, it really wasn’t safe my first year. I said we needed to put this one on pause because I have to put safety first when it comes to our kids. Now, we have an area to play under the lights.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 24, Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez mentioned that the high school contacted the town about using the field.

“This is a place where kids will play after school, where parents will sit on the sidelines and where neighbors will catch up on a Saturday morning,” she said. “Here in East Hampton, we’re fortunate to live in a community that values open space, outdoor activity and time spent together.”