Pomona, NY — The NY Boulders (originally known as the ‘Rockland Boulders’) in Pomona NY have announced that starting with the 2026 season, they will be playing on a brand‑new artificial turf surface at Clover Stadium when they open their season on May 7.
According to the team and local officials, the upgrade represents a major change for the ballpark — and for the surrounding communities of Rockland County.
The project will install a “DoublePlay Natural” surface by LandTek Group covering the infield and warning track, along with portable pitching mounds. Town of Ramapo Supervisor Michael B. Specht said, “Adding turf to Clover Stadium is about more than better field conditions — it’s about creating safer, more reliable opportunities for kids, leagues, and special events while deepening our valued relationship with the NY Boulders. Together we’re investing in community pride and economic activity for years to come.”
The Boulders’ general manager, Rob Janetschek, added: “We’re incredibly excited to bring turf to our ballpark this offseason. This upgrade is a game‑changer for our organization, providing a consistent, high‑quality playing surface for our players and fans to enjoy. It also opens the door for even more baseball and community events at the ballpark.”
The Boulders recently announced their 2026 season, and several reliable sources have indicated that the organization has committed to another 10 years of the baseball team’s residency at the stadium.
More events have also taken shape in Clover this year. Rockland Music Fest hosted its 11th annual concert in September, as a benefit for Meals on Wheels Rockland. The stadium also serves as the home field for several college programs, including Manhattan College, St. Thomas Aquinas College and Dominican University of New York. Many community organizations also use the field for events such as food truck festivals, fundraisers and some private events.
Synthetic Turf: Sporting Fields Become Multi-Purpose Fields
One of the strongest arguments in favor of the new turf is the ability to host more events – with less downtime and field maintenance. In short, it sharply reduces per-event costs.
As many venues have found, artificial turf is more resilient to heavy use and can handle more frequent scheduling of games, practices and non‑sporting events. Several Towns in Rockland have led with small to medium size parks with synthetic turf since 2020. The Town of Haverstraw recently used LandTek to install artificial turf on its new Garnerville field, and has quickly positioned itself for a variety of school and community activities.
For those venues, that translates to fewer rainouts, fewer weather‑delays and more reliable field availability for the Boulders, the college programs, youth leagues and other community groups.
Artificial turf fields also typically drain and recover more quickly than many natural grass fields, making them more suitable when bad weather hits. This is especially important in spring for the college teams and early season ball, where natural grass would often need repair or postponement. As one recent summary put it: “Artificial turf offers a consistent playing surface regardless of the weather.” (Source: WSB Sport)
Compared to natural grass, synthetic turf obviously requires less mowing, fertilizing, watering and other lawn‑care tasks. That can translate into cost savings over time and lower labour demands for the stadium grounds crew. (Source: Illinois Extension)
There are, of course – some risks. For instance, according to the National Library of Medicine during a 2021-2022 national study, the incidence of low extremity injury on synthetic turf is 1.42 per game on average, versus 1.22 per game on natural turf. Thus, additional training for players, proper safety measures and solid team management will play into the unanimous effort to reduce this average injury risk percentage, and safeguard players.
Beyond baseball and general sporting, the new surface also opens the door for many other types of events — including music festivals, community gatherings and comedy shows. For instance, the annual Rockland Music Fest (which was held at Clover Stadium on September 27, 2025) would benefit from a surface that can better accommodate heavier foot‑traffic, larger staging for name brand music), vendors on the field, and other safety considerations.
Festival organizer Tom Ossa stated “It’s a significant upgrade, and it would reduce our stage and logistics by around 50%, by reducing risk to the turf. I’m pretty psyched about this right now, but we’ll do our research leading up to 2026.” With a slight grin, he added “Maybe it’s time to call Def Leppard.”