A New(Balance) Field for BU

Late this February Boston University announced that the Boston based company, New Balance, would donate  $3 Million toward the creation of a new stadium for the Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams. The New Balance field will be a state of the art facility set to be built on the current Babcock street parking lot. The field should be ready by 2013 to bring the field hockey team back on campus. The D1 team has played on both BC and Harvard's fields since 2000 after a renovation to the turf on Nickerson field that made it impossible to play on. It is unthinkable that such a successful team (5 time America East Champions since 2000) has to play far away from campus making it difficult for students to attend the games. 

BU Field Hockey player in action

The new field will also be useful to attract prospective students and athletes who look at sports as being an important factor when applying to colleges. This project almost doubles BU's already large recreational area. The men's Lacrosse team is set to become a varsity D1 sport starting next year.  The promotion of the Lacrosse team from club to D1 is the first instance at BU since 2004 and has been happily welcomed by current students and alumni.

The existing parking lot on Babcock Street is frequently used by BU staff and others who benefit from this parking space.  The construction of the field will enable 350 new covered parking spots, thus preventing car damage from the neighboring softball field. The field itself will seat up to 1,000 people and will even have a 500 square foot press box. The hope is that the facility will be constructed quickly in order to get the much needed parking space back.

With the field being placed on campus near student dorms, there is hope to create an increased interest in BU sports and school pride.  "New Balance Field will be a major addition to our athletic and recreational facilities" school president Robert A. Brown told BU Today. "I am very grateful to New Balance for its leadership and support and to our alumni who have given generously to make this facility a reality. The field will benefit not only our student-athletes and the greater BU community, but it will allow us to expand our very successful NCAA Division 1 athletics program."

Here's how the field should look

The investment New Balance is making for BU is part of their program to give back to the community.  "As a Boston-based company with a long-standing commitment to promoting health and fitness and giving back to the local community, we are excited to help provide this valuable athletic resource for the Boston University community" said New Balance President and CEO Rob DeMartini. Boston University students are already excited about this new field, which will also act as fields for intramural sports.  One of the problems to consider is the leveling of the parking lot that has a visible slope. This will add on to the cost of the project, which is estimated to be around $24 Million. 

On the 6th of March a task force dealing with the planning of the field gave a final, positive decision to start building.  Construction is expected to finish by July 2013 says Tim Whitney, the project architect. There are many people working on this project right now. Pamela Beale is the chairman of the task force and thinks “It’s all about really making it a better place to live and be a student.”

I am confident the New Balance field will be a great success and will add to the already glamorous reputation held by BU. Every aspect of this new field is being studied in detail to ensure that neighbors and students can enjoy the field without being disturbed. I wish this field would've already been completed in my time at BU but it will certainly benefit the future Terrier generations! The BU administration and New Balance ought to be congratulated for enhancing the campus and making a better use of space.