Community Government Sports
It’s time to hit the turf at the new Gig Harbor Sports Fields
It’s time to play ball at two new artificial turf fields near the Tom Taylor YMCA.
The first teams to use the facility will hit the turf on Monday, April 6, according to Jesse Palmer of the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties.
An official grand opening ceremony will follow at 5 p.m. Friday, April 24. But the fields are ready to go now, and the first practices conducted there start Monday evening.
Signs outside the parking lot for the new facility proclaim it as the Gig Harbor Sports Fields. It includes two artificial turf fields, lighting, a parking lot with 100 stalls and a concessions stand.
The fields are striped for soccer, football, softball and other sports.
Both fields can host soccer, football, softball, lacrosse and more.
Phase 1A
The fields are Phase 1A of the Gig Harbor Sports Complex, a partnership between the YMCA and the city of Gig Harbor.
The city purchased the land for the sports fields in 2017, three years after starting negotiations with the Y to develop athletic fields.
Construction on Phase 1A began in May 2025. The city provided $2 million in Hospital Benefit Zone revenues (which are designated for public benefit projects in the vicinity of St. Anthony Hospital), $130,000 from real estate excise taxes and $200,000 from a legislative appropriation.
The fields were closed on Thursday, March 26, but they won’t be for long.
The Legislature provided another $1 million from the state capitol budget in 2025. The YMCA fundraised for the remainder of the estimated $7.5 million project.
Under a lease agreement, the YMCA will handle operating, maintaining and scheduling the fields. The facility will be available to the public when not in use for practices or games.
Cones bar the entrance to the Gig Harbor Sports Fields complex on Harbor Hill Drive on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice
Other phases
The two Astro turf fields are the second piece of the sprawling sports complex to open, following Doris Heritage Park in June 2025.
Originally referred to as Phase 1B of the Sports Complex, Doris Heritage Park includes a play structure, pickleball courts, bocce ball facilities and an event lawn and performance stage. Heritage Park is directly north of the YMCA and south of the two new fields.
Landscaping and parking lot work at the new Gig Harbor Sports Fields on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Future phases are not yet funded, though plans are in place.
Phase 2 would add synthetic turf to Peninsula Light Fields and re-line them for multiple sports. The fields, used by the Gig Harbor Little League, are southwest of the YMCA.
Phase 3 would add two more lighted, turf fields on 7.1 acres of currently forested land that the city bought in 2011. Those fields would be directly south of the YMCA.
The April 24 grand opening at the Sports Fields will include remarks from community leaders, a ribbon-cutting, and family activities. The Peninsula School District drone team will perform at about 8:15 p.m., according to Palmer.