It has been widely known for several weeks that the Ken Strong Stadium turf replacement would not be completed before the kickoff of the 2023 football season.
The topic has led to many discussions as to where the Blue Devils play their home games. Two realistic options were on the table: Veterans Field and Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium.
2022 featured an undefeated regular season at home that was followed by an upset loss in the first round of playoff football to Glastonbury. West Haven moved back up to Class L, which is the equivalent to Division I football, it is safe to stay home games will be packed.
West Haven is set to play their first home game on September 14th, against Jonathan Law. There is now a notice on West Haven’s schedule page on the CIAC website, showing a field change from Ken Strong to Veterans Memorial Park, home of Veterans Field.
Veterans Field is home to cross-town rivals, Notre Dame-West Haven, who are fresh off of a state championship win. The Green Knights have fallen to the Blue Devils in their last two meetings. NDWH’s last win came in 2019 at Vets’ as West Haven won last season. The two are set to face each other on November 3rd; it is listed as a home game for the Blue Devils, but if all games are played at Vets’ then it would feel like a Jets-Giants match at MetLife Stadium.
The 9/14 Law game is the only schedule change that is pending approval, all home games will be moved to a different location, it is just a matter now if all games will be played at Vets’.
As of this article posting (8/14/23), there has been no official announcement from Blue Devils athletics or the football team that Veterans Field will serve as the temporary home field.
There is also a scheduling conflict on October 20th. West Haven is set to play North Haven as a home game while NDWH is also set to play at home against Wilbur Cross. Most likely one of the games will be moved to the 21st, which is a Saturday.
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