The University of the Virgin Islands men’s soccer team will finally have a home field advantage in spring. Officials at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday said the new field being constructed on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix opens up opportunities for the university and the team.
UVI President Dr. David Hall said he often got complaints that there wasn’t an intercollegiate athletic field at the university.
“That is an unfortunate part of the past and not part of the future,” Hill said. “We want to see the facility accommodate and propel the student athletes to stardom.” He added it was a special time with groundbreaking and construction of the field taking place during the golden jubilee celebration of the university.
Provost Karl Wright said said he was pleased to see the soccer fields on St. Croix because sports are a big part of college life.
“Soon we will have the most popular sport in the world played at the university,” Wright said. “This is a new dawn. We want to attract students from around the world.”
Peter Sauer, UVI athletic director, said the fields should open up opportunities for league matches and sports tourism. “This is a great addition to the community,” Sauer said.
The plans initially called for three fields, but when excavation began in November the workers found cultural ruins and artifacts in one area, so they had to scale down to two fields.
Gerard Buggy, capital project manager, said contractors are leveling the site down two feet and putting in an underground drainage system. They will build up a berm for informal lawn seating. There will be mobile irrigation using cistern water.
The fields, adjacent to the outdoor basketball and tennis courts, behind the St. Croix Student Center/Cafetorium, are now cleared of vegetation and stripped of topsoil that was saved for reseeding.
Buggy said the fields, constructed by Eleven Construction Company, will be complete around the end of April.
“The inaugural kickoff depends on how fast the grass grows,” Buggy said. He added future plans call for a concession stand and restrooms.
The UVI team, formed last fall, is part of LAI (Liga Athletica Interuniversitaria) university league, is made up of 21 universities in Puerto Rico and the UVI team. The UVI team has 18 men on the roster from St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Alex Nissman, team captain, said it will be better for the team now that they have a home field. “Last year it was difficult without a field for practice and games. We were at a disadvantage.” He added there aren’t many quality soccer fields on St. Croix. The team currently practices in Sion Farm.
Johannes Worede, UVI soccer coach, said the addition of the fields on campus may open up the possibility of scholarships, making it more palatable for donors. He said they want to encourage St. Thomas students playing soccer to take classes on the St. Croix campus.
Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stipulated that the fields be open to the public for use. Worede said there will be one field used primarily by the UVI team.
Also attending the ceremony were St. Croix Administrator Dodson James, Malcolm McGregor representing the DeJongh administration, contractors, engineers, students and six St. Croix soccer team members.
In closing, Hill slyly requested that the team not have any losses on their new home field.
