Phil Welch Stadium undergoing renovations before 2026 season
Patrick Holleron
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — With the St. Joseph Mustangs in the midst of their off-season, renovations to Phil Welch Stadium will have the team and fans coming back “home” with a slightly different look.
New aluminum bleachers and plastic seats for the reserve box will be installed at Phil Welch, with the same classic color scheme. To support the structures of the seats, new layers of concrete will also be applied.
In discussions with Mustang’s Owner and President, Ky Turner, he noted, the new seats will mark the second major addition to Phil Welch this year. The first came back in March, when a new video scoreboard was installed.
“A big thing we talk about when you come to a Mustangs game at Phil Welch Stadium is it’s like a high school game. A big part of your experience is where you sit,” Turner said. “I know these seats have been here for a long time. We’re pretty excited to see it being done.”
Since the stadium’s inception, dating back to 1939, adjustments and renovations have been made when necessary. However, certain areas have required more attention and extensive work.
Stan Weston, the Mustangs’ director of operations, provided additional context on what has been needed in maintaining an older stadium like Phil Welch.
“In my opinion, the seats are kind of a hazard,” Weston said. “They’re (made) with fiberglass on two-by-ten planks and put in with nails. Those (nails) also pop out. We’ve had to go around the stadium before we start (the season). And then we’ll walk through two or three times a year, just pounding nails back in. It’s so people don’t catch their clothes or their legs on the nails.”
According to recent agendas from St. Joseph City Council meetings, construction company costs totaled $674,611.00.
The purchase and installation of new seating was an additional $336,814.00, for a total cost of $1,011,425 for the overall project.
For longtime fans like Kevin Little, he views the improvements to the stadium as something to be excited about, but still appreciates the older feel of Phil Welch.
“It reminds me of baseball. You look at all the older baseball movies, are just like this,” Little said. “It adds a little bit to the baseball lore. With the changing of times, you have an opportunity to make it a more quality experience for the participants and the spectators.”
The plan for the old seats is to make them available for Mustangs fans to purchase. Once they are officially on sale, Little intends to be one of the first people in line.
“I might have one of those (seats) down in my basement,” Little said. “Especially since we have Mustang players stay with us. It’d be a fun little experience to put the stadium seat downstairs where they stay.”
Turner also mentioned the recent renovations at Phil Welch may only just be getting started and teased more changes and upgrades coming to the stadium in the future.