Atlantic City’s venerable Pop Lloyd Stadium, named after Negro League star John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, will reopen on April 29 as a multipurpose sports hub.
Dignitaries including Mayor Marty Small Sr. and city officials will officially reopen the facility, which fell into disrepair in the 1990s. The multipurpose facility, located at N. Indiana and Huron avenues, will host baseball, football, soccer, other field sports. Improvements include artificial blue turf, new dugouts, locker rooms, bleachers, restrooms, lighting, , and a scoreboard.
The $5.6 million renovation project broke ground on June 17, 2024. Funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan ($4 million) and 2022 Supplemental Transitional Aid ($1 million). The State of New Jersey also approved an additional $601,450 of ARP funding. The contractor for the project is Atlantic City-based Weatherby Construction Co.
The new field will be managed by the recreation division, who will be responsible for the schedule of events and programs.
Pop Lloyd Stadium was built in the late 1940s, and named after John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, one of the greatest shortstops in the Negro Leagues who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. As part of his career, Lloyd played for the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants in 1924 and 1925. He lived and worked in Atlantic City, where he died in 1964.
