Mayor O’Connor, Pirates Charities and Laborers Launch Citywide Fields for Kids Commitment to Strengthen Neighborhood Fields Across Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Mayor Corey O’Connor joined Pittsburgh Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting and leaders from the Pennsylvania Laborers’ District Council to announce a new citywide youth sports partnership. Pirates Charities will be upgrading ballfields across the City and funding the purchase of the same professional maintenance laser-grading equipment used at PNC Park. The Laborers will be investing in new, high-quality scoreboards for games at the fields.
This effort expands the impact of Pirates Charities long-running Fields for Kids program on city fields, supporting critical upgrades and renovations to 20 fields. Additionally, the City’s staff will receive ongoing training in best practices, supporting improved safety, consistency, and day-to-day playability for athletes and their families.
At each site, upgrades will focus on the elements that most directly affect how fields are used every day, including improvements to playing surfaces, drainage, equipment, and durability—addressing the real challenges that often fall on volunteers and local organizations between maintenance cycles.
The initiative is a result of direct conversations between Nutting and Mayor O’Connor and is a continuation of the strong partnership between the team and the city it calls home.
“For nearly two decades, the Pirates Charities Fields for Kids program has been an important part of what we do. It reflects something we believe deeply: every child deserves a safe, reliable place to play and be part of a team,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. “This effort allows us to build on that longstanding commitment and expand the impact of the program across more city fields. We are grateful to partner with Mayor O’Connor, the City of Pittsburgh and organized labor to strengthen a program that has helped connect tens of thousands of kids and families for almost 20 years.”
Mayor O’Connor emphasized the City’s role in bringing partners together to deliver meaningful results for residents, highlighting both the urgency of improving neighborhood assets and the importance of creating spaces that support everyday quality of life across Pittsburgh.
“Youth sports provide young people with a safe opportunity to have fun, develop skills, and be part of a team,” said Mayor O’Connor. “We want Pittsburgh to be every family’s first choice and having high quality recreation spaces is a critical part of that. "
Ballfield improvements for the game experience will be supported by the PA Laborers District Council, who have provided funding to purchase new scoreboards for fields across the city.
“The City of Pittsburgh has been an amazing partner for the Laborers for generations,” said PA Laborers District Council President Joe Laquatra, Jr. “We are excited to give back in a way that helps benefit the next generation of youth and families in our communities.”
At its core, this effort is not about making fields look professional. It is about making them work for athletes, for families, and for the shared city. When neighborhood fields are well cared for and ready to use, they become places people rely on: spaces where families choose to spend time, where athletes build confidence, and where neighborhoods come together.
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