Troyer Group Joins Team Selected to Design Migley Field in New Carlisle
Every so often a project comes along that reminds us why we love this work, and Migley Field is one of them. We’re excited to share that Troyer Group, teamed with Shive-Hattery Architecture, has been selected by the Town of New Carlisle, Indiana, to design a professionally designed WIFFLE Ball stadium and flexible public gathering space that will honor one of the most beloved grassroots traditions in the state.
A Backyard Field That Became a Hometown Legend
The story behind Migley Field is what makes this project special. New Carlisle is home to the New Carlisle Newts, a nonprofit organization that traces its roots back to 2007 as a charter member of the Old Republic WIFFLE Ball League, a recreational league that has since grown to fourteen teams across the Michiana region. For more than two decades, the town has hosted the Hometown Days WIFFLE Ball Championship, one of the largest WIFFLE Ball tournaments in the country, drawing players and fans from across the United States.
For most of that history, the action centered on the original Migley Field, a diamond envisioned, built, and lovingly maintained by the Newts in the backyard of a private residence. It was never meant to be a professional venue, and that’s exactly why it became one of the most recognizable pieces of New Carlisle’s identity. Now the town wants to memorialize that legacy with a permanent, professionally designed home for the sport that gave the community something to rally around.
What We’re Designing
The new Migley Field will rise on a 0.904 acre site along Ben Street in New Carlisle, and the town’s vision goes well beyond a playing surface. The program includes a professionally designed WIFFLE Ball stadium, spectator seating and viewing amenities, concessions and support facilities, lighting, and landscaping and placemaking features that tie the design back to the town’s history and the Newts’ own branding. Just as important, the space is being designed to work as a true year round community gathering venue, one that can host tournament play, festivals, farmers markets, and winter events just as easily as it hosts a WIFFLE Ball game.
That flexibility is central to the design principles the Town of New Carlisle laid out for this project: preserve recognizable elements of the original Migley Field, balance nostalgia with modern functionality and accessibility, and create a destination that is unmistakably New Carlisle. Our team’s early concepts, developed with Shive-Hattery leading architecture and engineering while Troyer Group brings landscape architecture and placemaking expertise, envision a stadium and plaza that can transform from a packed tournament crowd in July to a lantern lit winter market with an ice rink laid over the infield, all while keeping the character of a hometown ballfield at its heart.
Building Trust Through the Selection Process
The Town of New Carlisle set a high bar for this project, evaluating teams on relevant experience, creativity, public engagement capability, and a genuine understanding of the town’s goals. Our combined team brought a track record of sports and recreation venue design, parks and placemaking work, and public sector project experience across the Midwest, along with a shared commitment to listening first. Our proposed process for Migley Field starts with listening and discovery before moving into concept development, refinement, and a 30 percent design package, with room built in for public input along the way.
We’re honored the Town of New Carlisle put its trust in our team to carry the Newts’ legacy forward, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. A hometown tradition built in a backyard is worth getting right when it becomes a permanent public place, and our job is to make sure Migley Field still feels like the community’s field even as it grows into a true regional destination.
What’s Next
Our team is kicking off planning and public engagement in the weeks ahead, working closely with Town staff, the New Carlisle Newts, tournament organizers, and residents to shape a design that reflects what this place means to the community. We’ll share more as the concept design takes shape.
Curious how The Troyer Group approaches sports, recreation, and community placemaking projects? Contact our team to talk about what we can build together.