The University of the District of Columbia has proudly unveiled its newly renovated athletic field, an exciting enhancement to the Van Ness campus that has been a decade in the making. The university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the state-of-the-art turf facility.
UDC Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas expressed her enthusiasm for this significant milestone. “This new turf field is a game-changer,” said Thomas. “It’s designed to accommodate soccer as well as men’s and women’s lacrosse. The previous grass field struggled under the wear and tear of three teams, making maintenance a challenge, especially in bad weather. Now, we have an all-weather facility that will serve our student-athletes and the entire university community far better”
The upgraded facility boasts impressive features, including a new scoreboard, a cutting-edge sound system, shot clocks for lacrosse, and covered benches with bleachers that can accommodate over 300 fans. The field is fully illuminated for the first time, enabling evening practices and games. Thomas noted, “It’s the nicest field in our conference and rivals many Division II or III athletic facilities.”
In addition to serving UDC‘s athletic teams, the new field complies with NCAA specifications for soccer, allowing the university to host championship events on campus. “We’ve waited a long time for this, and now we’re ready,” said Thomas.
A Project for the UDC Community
Notably, the field is open for more than official games and training. “The whole university community—students, faculty, and staff—will have opportunities to use the field during open hours. We’re also planning to revitalize our intramural program, especially in soccer, which has always been popular with our students,” Thomas explained.
Looking ahead, UDC’s athletics program welcomes 30 new student-athletes this year, bringing the total to about 120. With anticipation building for the upcoming seasons, Thomas highlighted the optimism surrounding the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
“They’ve faced significant challenges, including having to train off-campus early in the morning,” explained Thomas. “Despite these hurdles, they reached the conference championship last season, narrowly losing in the final minutes. With many key players returning, I’m confident they’ll have a stellar season.”