The USM soccer field has taken some serious wear and tear over the years. This isn’t going to be a concern for Athletic Director Al Bean and the USM athletics department for much longer. The Hannaford Charitable Foundation recently awarded a $250,000 donation to the USM athletics department to help build a new multi-purpose synthetic field with lights, to replace the existing grass surface.
“Our current field is actually a good field. With two teams practicing and playing games on it though, halfway through the first month it starts getting in rough shape,” USM men’s soccer coach Mike Keller said. “So many Northeast schools are switching to turf fields, so this is a great thing for our program.”
The donation was presented at halftime of a recent basketball game in Gorham by Hannaford Supermarket’s vice president for retail operations, Dave Bass, who handed the check over to USM President Selma Botman.
Bean, who has been corresponding with Hannaford for the past two years, is anticipating this project as he feels that it is something that needs to happen for USM athletics.
“I’ve been talking with folks from Hannaford for quite some time about bringing a turf field to USM,” Bean said. “The timing was right and I sent a proposal into them and they approved it. We’re very excited about this.”
In a statement from an interview last semester, Bean mentioned that a new multi-purpose turf field, which is an estimated $1 million project, is the “top priority” for the USM athletics department right now. If the planning and permitting processes go well, USM plans to start building this new facility in the spring of 2011, or possibly earlier.
The construction of a new multi-purpose facility will be beneficial to USM in many ways. A new state of the art field will provide our men and women’s soccer and lacrosse teams with a playing surface that will remain in great shape for late, and early in the season. The turf surface can be plowed early in the spring when there’s still a substantial amount of snow on the ground. This factor would also be beneficial for the USM baseball and softball teams who have trouble playing and practicing outside during the first couple weeks of the season when they return from their annual spring trips. The addition of lights would also open up a world of opportunity for our athletics teams, allowing them to experience the excitement of night games as well as alleviating scheduling difficulties.
“I’ve been here for five years and I think we’ve had to play ten home games at different sites. With a turf field we won’t run into that problem,” Keller said. “In the past it has also been difficult for students to make it to practice because of our 1 p.m. training time. When you bring lights into play though, we can avoid that dilemma all together.”
Not only will the new turf facility benefit the athletes that roam the USM campus, but also it will give an opportunity for the general student public to participate in more recreational activities. Like varsity athletic games, intramurals will be allowed more flexibility in scheduling, with the option to extend game hours into the night, and without worrying about sacrificing the shape of the field. Bean also mentioned that the new field would give Gorham and the surrounding communities access.
Coach Keller believes that the brand-new all-weather surface won’t only be a top-notch field to play on, but will help with recruiting purposes as well. When players visit USM on recruiting trips they will be swayed by the scenery of Gorham and the academic and dorm buildings on campus, along with the beautiful Costello Sports Complex. What will really persuade them though is the multi-purpose turf facility. Student-athletes want to play on a high quality field, and this factors into their choice of school. The addition of the turf field to USM’s already great facilities will definitely help in the aspect of bringing kids in to play for the soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey programs.
With the generous gift from the Hannaford Charitable Foundation, the field will rightfully be named Hannaford Field. This isn’t the first charitable donation that Hannaford has given USM. The Hannaford Lecture Hall on the Portland campus was funded by a $500,000 donation, and has been a location for valuable university events over the past four years.
“A facility like this really opens up a world of opportunities for our athletics program,” Bean said. “This is a very, very important project for us.”