SK Club Unveiled At Ballpark To Honor Steve and Suzanne Kalafer

Bridgewater, New Jersey – Long before the Patriots joined the affiliated ranks of minor league baseball, the team’s Founding Chairman Steve Kalafer and his family worked rigorously to leave a lasting impression on all that crossed the turnstiles at TD Bank Ballpark and broadly in the surrounding community. Steve Kalafer was a true family man in every sense, and despite passing away in 2021, his core values are still felt daily by those who knew him well and frankly by those who never had the pleasure of sharing his presence. In the spirit of those ingrained principles, the Patriots along with Co-Chairmen Jonathan and Josh Kalafer dropped the curtain on Wednesday afternoon to unveil the newly minted SK Club presented by P.C. Richard & Son in honor of Steve and his wife Suzanne.

“This is so important for us because we want to celebrate dad forever,” said Co-Chairman Josh Kalafer. “We always did when he was alive, as did everybody else in the community and will continue to for the rest of our lives. It is more important at this stage of our lives to find a really appropriate, wonderful, meaningful, and joyous way to celebrate mom. This was a nice way to do it and do it in a way that I know dad is very proud of as he is watching down, but also in a way that lets us celebrate mom with the community every day.”

“It means more to me than I could put into words,” said Suzanne Kalafer. “To have this honor is just wonderful.”

Formerly known as the Party Deck, the newly renovated hospitality space, located on the suite level on the third base side of the ballpark, will play host to many events beyond just the baseball season throughout the calendar year.

The space can hold a maximum occupancy of 175 guests between the covered outdoor deck and the lavish indoor temperature-controlled club that plays host to a private bar dubbed Sue’s Bar.

“Its primary use is going to be for groups, but we are going to do some special events up here” said Patriots President/General Manager Patrick McVerry. “A really big push for us is being able to use it after the season or on off days. Once you get into the fall, the ballpark pretty much closes down and has to be winterized. But this area can be utilized all year round, so that is the exciting part.”

McVerry added, “I think having a space like this will definitely impact local businesses wanting to have meetings or events here.”

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.