(Above) The crew rolls out the sod for the "pitch"See more construction photos at www.DenverPioneers.com
With the opening of the new DU Soccer Stadium quickly approaching, construction crews are working to finish the project by the start of the school year. The lights have started to go up and the new grass is being rolled out. The grandstand is starting to become visible and the new strength and conditioning area is beginning to take shape.
“To see the sandbase go in and the new rolls of sod is incredible,” said men’s soccer head coach Bobby Muuss. “It is a great time to be a part of the Denver Soccer Programs as we look to have one of the premier soccer facilities in the country. We sincerely appreciate all the hard work that is going into making the the DU Soccer Stadium one of the best in NCAA DI athletics and can't wait to play our first game in the stadium."
“To see the sandbase go in and the new rolls of sod is incredible,” said men’s soccer head coach Bobby Muuss. “It is a great time to be a part of the Denver Soccer Programs as we look to have one of the premier soccer facilities in the country. We sincerely appreciate all the hard work that is going into making the the DU Soccer Stadium one of the best in NCAA DI athletics and can't wait to play our first game in the stadium."
14 comments:
So ... I'm wondering .. How is it exactly that William Wrenn already has DU Pioneer equipment to wear while playing hockey in some summer league?
Has he already registered at DU? Do they pass out helmets to every "recruit"?
Would the NCAA be interested?
He's already registered at DU and in the student directory. Must have already begun summer school along with the rest of the freshmen hockey players.
Dunlop...good god, your fake alarmism is just sad.
Have you ever heard of the term "troll" before in reference to folks who post on the web?
If you haven't, it is very easy to explain...look in a mirror.
The new soccer stadium appears to be generally located where the old football stadium was that was demolished in 1971.
Looks like the new grandstand will eliminate the walk way to the big front of the Ritchie Center/Magness from the other half of campus unless there will be a walkway underneath?
Also, to anon- Donald is not a troll- he is a respected blogger who has written on this blog in the past and has the class to at least give us his name when he posts, more than I can say for you...
I don't have all the details but I believe the walkway will remain in place and lead to the Soccer Building. I believe the building will also house the new DU Hall of Fame.
There is also supposed to be a brand new training facility for the varsity athletes, underneath the new soccer field I believe. Should be a great facility.
The original plan called for a DU Hall of Fame display in the walkway under the grandstand, but I don't know if that is still the case. The more recent plan is to accomodate the Art Department with has a studio expansion building that is being built into the backside of the stadium and fitness facility, so I don't know what the traffic flow will look like now...
The best thing to me is that DU will now play night soccer games, and that means much bigger crowds, perhaps some band/mascot/dance team appearances to build spirit and create some excitement on campus prior to hockey season.
As I understand it, the project has three parts:
(1) The soccer stadium;
(2) The varsity weight training facility;
(3) The art annex.
I think the obious reaction is why put these things together? Having worked in the fundraising departments of two universities, I can tell you that donors often stipulate a specific purpose for their gifts. Unfortunately the cost of the project often far exceeds what the donor gives. Therefore the donor's money sits idle for years and years until the university can find a way to raise the remaining amount, or else compromise on the quality and scale of the project and still satisfy the donor's intent. It's a frustrating experience for donors and university administrators alike who want to see immediate effects.
DU has had what I think is a remarkable knack for building multi-use projects that satisfy the many desires of various donors all at once. Remember the new dorm last year that included classrooms, offices, and a fine arts collection? Same idea...
We know why the soccer stadium is in the mix. The soccer programs have been very successful without their own facility, they can use this as a recruiting tool, and we can draw more fans to night games, thus improving our chances of joining a more prestigious (and local) athletics conference.
Now what about the weight facility? From what I understand, the Athletics Department feels that our players lack the physical "bulk" to reach the upper echelon of division I programs. This is because the weight training facility we have now is too small for entire teams to practice at once. Also, teams have to share the facilities with recreational users. Apparently this project is going to pay huge dividends in the next couple years with regards to the competitivenss of all our teams across the board.
As for the arts annex? Apparently it is the most modest portion of this project. From what I understand, the university could not committ to anything more than a big, empty room with a concrete floor. But coincidentally, this is exactly what the art department wanted: more gallery space. Plus, it should be an exciting opportunity to invite folks outside of the art department to see what's going on. I think they'll really get to reach a new audience by putting the gallery in the path of the athletics fans and general public.
Anyway, that's what I hear...
My guess is that DU also probably found the whole project easier to sell to skeptical faculty if it carried some additional academic space for the Art Deptartment...
More on the combined project:
http://www.du.edu/today/stories/2009/03/2009-03-11soccer.html
Hey, Pioneers04...you might want to rething that whole "Donald is not a troll- he is a respected blogger" comment. I don't think anyone 'respectable' would post something such as this on their blog: "FUCK the WCHA. I think I'll make T-shirts and sell them at home games this year. FUCK the WCHA. It has a certain odd-symmetry I think. FUCK the WCHA. It's certainly easy to type. I say the best way to FUCK the WCHA is to start winning some of it's fucking championships. How about it?"
What a classy troll. Must be a closet UND fan!
Donald is known for:
1. Support of the UAA hockey program
2. Unvarnished opinions
3. Acerbic wit
Let's face it, DU is taking Wrenn away from Anchorage and UAA.He's just jealous.
But, he does like RWD so he can't be all bad
Beautiful soccer stadium. I am very happy when I saw it.
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