Paterson asks teams to pay for sue of Hinchliffe
By: Joe Malinconico
Paterson Press
PATERSON - City education officials are asking Hinchliffe Stadium's operators for $271,950, mostly for New Jersey Jackals and New York Cosmos games scheduled at the historic ballpark on dates the school broad said it had previously reserved for its own use.
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The May 6 [2026] invoice represents growing friction between the school board - which owns the stadium - and the developers who rebuilt the ballpark as part of a $108 million project that included a parking garage, museum and 75-unit senior citizen apartment building.
..... "We should be able to collect what we're entitled to," school board member Hector Nieves said, citing wording in the lease hat says the district has priority for using Hinchcliffe for 180 days per academic year.
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After Hinchliffe, reopened in May 2023, the district had not strictly enforced the lease provisions. "Shame on us," Nieves said.
.....But last December, [2025] the school board voted to adopt fee for others to use Hinchliffe on district-reserved days and in April [2026] it adopted a calendar saying it had rights to Hinchliffe for all of May and June. [2026]
..... "We want to support the teams, but not at the expense of the kids in the district," Nieves said.
Jackals games, Cosmos matches
..... Baye Adofo-Wilson, the leader of the development team that rebuilt Hinchliffe, said he was unaware of the invoice asking him for $271,950.
..... "I haven't gotten it, so I'm not sure what you're talking about," said Adofo-Wilson, who also is part owner of the Cosmos and Jackals franchises.
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The invoice lists 23 Jackals games, seven Cosmos matches and three Jersey Shore Wave women's football events - all before July 1 [2026] - for which the district is billing the Hinchliffe tenants $7,500 per day. The invoice coves several other non-distrct events at Hinchliffe, including a festival and a movie, in its billing.
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The school board also adopted a calender for Hinchliffe for 2026-2027 that contains numerous dates when the Jackals and Cosmos are scheduled to play games through the summer and into the fall. [2026]
..... The Paterson district spokesperson, Aida Rosario, confirmed hat the invoice was sent to the Hinchliffe tenants. School board President Joel Ramirez did not respond when asked about the invoice.
..... The board's vice president, Della McCall, declined to comment, saying she had a conflict because she works as a city employee. The city of Paterson has been one of the parties involved in the Hinchliffe leases.
..... Paterson's longest-serving school board member, Kenneth Simmons, said the city education commissioners have not held any discussions about billing the Hinchliffe tenants.
..... Simmons questioned the district approach of waiting until April [2026] to claim the final 60-something Hinchliffe dates for 2025-2026 - more than nine months into the year.
..... The veteran school broad member said he thinks the stadium operators have no legal obligation to pay the $271,950 to the district.