UConn Soccer, Baseball and Softball Getting New Stadiums

[aman kidwai]

From the agenda of today's Board of Trustees meeting, $60 million in funding was proposed for "athletic stadia and related projects." By the looks of Benedict's tweet, it looks like the upgrades have been approved and Storrs will be getting new athletic facilities. The documents do not state where or for what, but we have confirmed that the $60 million is approved for new soccer, baseball, and softball stadiums.

Back in March, the Board approved exploratory funds to begin soliciting designs for new soccer, baseball, and softball facilities. The cost of the project was estimated to be $46 million. From the Request for Proposal, construction was set to begin in the spring of 2018, which is also when the bonds funding the project will be issued. The school will repay the bonds through a combination of private donations and ticket revenue.

The 'very good news' means moving forward with breaking ground for new soccer, baseball, and softball stadiums and perhaps that we may be seeing designs soon. Additional funding was approved for a new student recreation center and infrastructure, which will ultimately be repaid by student fees.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Where is that money coming from? My understanding was the State budget is earmarking massive cuts to UConn.

 

[the Blades]

Where is that money coming from? My understanding was the State budget is earmarking massive cuts to UConn.

Those of us buying tickets for other sports have already been paying for part of it with every FB, BB & Hockey ticket we buy::
"Beginning with the 2017-18 sport seasons, we have established a new and modest F.I.T. (Facilities Investment Together) fee on all Husky athletic tickets.
There will be a $5 surcharge on every football ticket, $2 for each men’s ice hockey and men’s/women’s basketball ticket and $1 for each men’s/women’s soccer ticket. The F.I.T. fee will be applicable to season, mini-plan and single-game purchases, but no assessment for UConn student tickets. "

UCONNHUSKIES.COM Facilities Investment Together

 

[the Blades]

Here's the update on the reconfigured project:
"They are expected to break ground on the soccer stadium at the conclusion of the regular season, with the final match coming on Oct. 27 when men’s soccer faces SMU "......The Soccer Huskies will need to move off-campus next season. ( or if they host a postseason game, this year) They are expected to play at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, although the renovated Dillon Stadium was in the mix at some point as well......."The baseball and softball stadiums are set to be demolished after each team’s respective season, meaning both teams will also be off for a season. Baseball is expected to split games between Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, Eastern Connecticut State’s baseball stadium in nearby Willimantic and Dodd Stadium in Norwich."

"Beginning on Aug. 27, the western-most portion of Jim Calhoun Way between Separatist Road and I-Lot will be closed for infrastructure work"

The Uconn Blog- Work Beginning on New UConn Stadium(s) Project

Here's the latest layout with the new baseball stadium now pegged behind the new soccer stadium and Hockey rink:

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I have a vivid memory of seeing a UConn soccer game exhibition match in Storrs in 1981, when I was a freshman at UConn, a year in which UConn won the national championship. The game, as I recall, was against Harvard, and the stands were pretty full. My recollection is that UConn won 5-1 or something like that.

I did a search on the Internet and amazingly was able to find highlights from the UConn 1981 championship game win against Alabama A@M in Palo Alto, California. Both goals by UConn featured fantastic passing and positioning. Here is the video, the tying goal sequence begins at around 2:25 and the winning overtime goal sequence starts at 3:25. Pedro DeBrito started the winning goal sequence which was finished with a header into the net in dramatic fashion in sudden death OT:

 

[the Blades]

Great find, KSTW, I remember watching that game, pretty funny seeing the opening ESPN sequence and recalling that originally it started out to do some Uconn games and Bill Rasmussen ( the Whalers TV guy )purchasing satellite time that no one wanted and the rest is history.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Also funny that Kevin Slaten referred to UConn coach Joe Morrone as “Joe Moreno” jumping on the dogpile after the winning goal.

I should also note that Pedro DeBrito assisted on both the tying and winning goals and on both goals initiated the passes to teammates that started the action leading to the goal. On the tying goal if you watch DeBrito passes to Cornolo and gave him the chance to pass to Morrone or back to DeBrito for a give and go as DeBrito immediately streaks towards the net after making the pass. For the younger members here who don’t remember Pedro he was the undisputed star of that team, and a 4 year starter despite never having played high school soccer. I would argue he was greatest soccer player in UConn history. He was the NASL rookie of the year in 1982 and was also the true Big Man on Campus that year of 1981. I recall seeing Pedro on campus and at parties and everyone at UConn knew who he was. This was an era when soccer was bigger than basketball and football as far as UConn being a national player. Corny Thompson was the star of the hoops team and John Dorsey (now Cleveland Browns GM) star on the football team but Pedro was the man and one of the best athletes in UConn history. They should do a dedication to him and invite his family to attend at the new stadium as sadly Pedro died in a car accident in Miami a few years ago. He was the Kemba Walker of UConn soccer his final 2 years at UConn. During Pedro’s 4 years at UConn the soccer team had its best record over 4 years in program history and this wasn’t an accident.

I remember going into that game there was a lot of concern about UConn being able to handle Alabama A&M’s speed. They obviously proved they could.

 

[the Blades]

Where is that money coming from? My understanding was the State budget is earmarking massive cuts to UConn.

One other thing regarding funding I do recall a former Uconn soccer player stepped up:
Courant: Tony Rizza ('87) Gives $8 Million For UConn Soccer Facility

and:
UConn Foundation donations up, $82.45M received (Jul 26, 2018)
"The University of Connecticut Foundation announced Wednesday that it has seen the largest annual amount of donations in the foundation’s history, some $82.45 million, a 15 percent increase from fiscal year 2017."

 

[the Blades]

Another look @ the new facilities and their donation menu:

 

[the Blades]

In other news from the BOT meeting, Uconn is scraping the Frietas upgrade for hockey....

"Hockey East requires all their teams play on-campus and gave UConn four years to begin construction of one when the Huskies joined the conference in 2013. The most recent plan was to expand Freitas to 4,000 seats, but those plans ultimately fell through. UConn changed course and decided to instead build a new arena but scaled back the seating to 2,500. "

Uconn will continue to play a majority of their games at the XL Center.... the new arena will allow six to seven games to be played on campus. It'll also help the hockey team avoid scheduling conflicts with bookings at the XL Center.

 

[the Blades]

Where is that money coming from? My understanding was the State budget is earmarking massive cuts to UConn.

Maybe this will help:

UConn Athletics Department, IMG Announce 15-Year Contract Extension Worth At Least $93 Million

 

[the Blades]

" The baseball stadium’s turf will be installed in the next few weeks, Benedict said, leaving the stadium on track to open in time for the Huskies’ first scheduled home game, March 29 against Seton Hall. The soccer field is expected to be ready by the following fall, while the softball stadium will be finished for the 2021 season. ...UConn held a topping off ceremony marking the completion of putting steal beams in place for the Rizza Family Performance Center, a facility that will house locker rooms, coaches’ offices, training equipment and more for the school’s men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball, softball and lacrosse teams.....Baseball coach Jim Penders, in attendance for the ceremony Wednesday, said he expects new facilities will help greatly help with recruiting. “16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids, they like stuff,” Penders said. “This is going to be state-of-the-art. There’s gonna be nobody in the Northeast that has anything even close to compare. So we’re going to stand out again, and I just can’t wait.”"

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

December----- posted video update:

 

[the Blades]

A message I just caught from Jim Penders and a sad look at Uconn's new ballpark....Which is..."All dressed up but nowhere to go"

LINK- Huskies Patiently Wait For Elliot Ballpark Debut

 

[the Blades]

Benedict talks Uconn updates during COVID-19 outbreak....

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

Speaking of soccer... in the thread title .....with Uconn gone and now Cincy done, the AAC is down to 6 schools for it's soccer league.
( All 11 Big East schools play M & W soccer)

 

[the Blades]

With most of the state shut down, construction still continues on the Uconn Stadium projects. Here's a pic of the new soccer stadium work from the live cam, with Jim Calhoun Way on the right, the Freitas Hockey rink in the background and a partial veiw of the Elliot Ballpark grandstand in the top left corner:

 

[the Blades]

Progress continues despite the hardship:

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

Training Area behind soccer stands for baseball, soccer, etc:

 

[the Blades]

One other thing regarding funding I do recall a former Uconn soccer player stepped up:
Courant: Tony Rizza ('87) Gives $8 Million For UConn Soccer Facility
and:
UConn Foundation donations up, $82.45M received (Jul 26, 2018)
"The University of Connecticut Foundation announced Wednesday that it has seen the largest annual amount of donations in the foundation’s history, some $82.45 million, a 15 percent increase from fiscal year 2017."

Also regarding AD funding for 2020 UConn — recorded its best year ever on Tuesday after receiving $89.5 million in donations from :
" Donations to UConn’s Division of Athletics rose 84% year over year, totaling $26.4 million in fiscal year 2020. The funds, which included a $13.5 million pledged bequest for capital projects from an anonymous donor, will go towards support for student-athletes, programs, and facilities. "

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

In other news from the BOT meeting, Uconn is scraping the Frietas upgrade for hockey....

"Hockey East requires all their teams play on-campus and gave UConn four years to begin construction of one when the Huskies joined the conference in 2013. The most recent plan was to expand Freitas to 4,000 seats, but those plans ultimately fell through. UConn changed course and decided to instead build a new arena but scaled back the seating to 2,500. "

Uconn will continue to play a majority of their games at the XL Center.... the new arena will allow six to seven games to be played on campus. It'll also help the hockey team avoid scheduling conflicts with bookings at the XL Center.

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

Nice pic of what Uconn BB, would look like for a night game ....

 

[the Blades]

"Elliot Ballpark isn't the only welcomed addition. Down the line and beyond the left field fence is the state-of-the-art Rizza Performance Center, which will open in December. The facility will house offices, locker rooms, a strength and conditioning area, meeting rooms as well as indoor batting and pitching cages. Penders' office window will overlook Elliot Ballpark.........coach Jim Penders said "It finally feels like a major national program. I think we've had that kind of program. Now we have a home that befits it."

 

[the Blades]

George Springer and the wifey in da' house....(ps. he's a free agent this year, wonder if his favorite team as a kid, the Red Sox , kick the tires ?)

 

[the Blades]

Final phase of the work heading towards completion. Also a look away from the new Morrone Stadium towards the old J.O. Christian ballpark which is now a practice soccer field on Calhoun Way and a look at the nearly complete softball field.

 

[the Blades]

Nice find on the new rink:

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

DB invite and great overhead look of new facilities:

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

Construction on the long-awaited project is expected to begin in late May and wrap up by fall 2022.
“A lot has been made with a 2,600-seat facility, (80 percent of which will be seatbacks)” he said at the time. “Me personally, I think with the economic climate in our state, it’s fiscally responsible. We’re still going to play games in Hartford, I think we’d be crazy not to, especially with the way our attendance was towards the end of last season (2018-19) when we were putting 7,000 people into the [XL Center].”

 

[the Blades]

 

[the Blades]

Where is that money coming from? My understanding was the State budget is earmarking massive cuts to UConn.

Got this sent out in donor e-mail from DB, regarding the rest of the new stadiums now completed and the $70 mil Hockey rink under way.....

" Without this level of generosity, projects like Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at the Rizza Performance Center, Elliot Ballpark, Burrill Family Field, and the new hockey arena we recently broke ground on, would not be possible."

Donations in fiscal year 2021 totaled $21.4 MM, which was the fourth-highest mark in UConn history and increased the three-year (FY19, FY20, FY21) donation average to $20.8 MM. For reference, the average over the previous three years (FY16, FY17, FY18) was $10.4 MM. In fact, the last two years mark the highest two-year total in the history of UConn Athletics.

A Message From David Benedict - University of Connecticut Athletics

The last 16 months have been some of the most challenging many of us have experienced. The environment created by the pandemic has caused a sea change in our society,

uconnhuskies.com