McDaniel sports fans will soon be cheering for more than their athletic teams. Plans are currently underway for a fresh and contemporary stadium facility.
Lee Primm, the Director of Special Projects at McDaniel, shared the vision for the new stadium.
The new facility will be able to seat 1400 fans, an improvement on the limited seating currently available. The entire grandstand will have a brick facade with additional materials of glass, steel, and concrete.
There will be press and media boxes, coach’s areas, and an entertainment center for fundraising and recruiting events. The stadium will have a top deck with a full view for video recording. Underneath will be an area for concessions and memorabilia, as well as restrooms, training rooms, and team rooms that will cater to both males and females. Use of the facility will not be restricted to sporting events.
During the construction, the entrance to the stadium will be relocated near the tennis courts. There are also plans for a walkway around the arena. Of course, nothing about this project is going to alter the renowned bowl shape or interfere with the tradition of tailgating during home events.
The new Athletic Director, Paul Moyer, believes strongly in the construction of the stadium. “Much like students in other co-curricular areas, students participate ‘for the love of the game’ which makes it important to them, important to their educational experience and therefore important for the college.”
The timeline for the project is to begin at the completion of the 2011 football season to have the new stadium finished by next year’s season. The hope is that construction will not limit access to the turf by non-fall users.
“I don’t think it’s a far reaching goal to play the first football game of 2012 in the new venue,” said Primm.
The first phase of the project, the lights, have already been installed.
Primm says goal of the project is to “bring a higher aesthetic to the look for the field.” The hope is that the stadium will change how other schools, students, prospective students, and even the community views the college. Friends and alumni of the college take great pride in the campus and the new facility will not just be for athletes.
“Athletics play an important role in the educational experience for all students,” said Primm. “Right behind the importance of residence halls, and academics, is entertainment and athletics.”
Moyer voiced similar opinions. “The stadium project will be one of those projects that will change the experience for thousands of students over time and is one of the projects that will have an immediate impact on the student experience which is what you hope for when developing facilities on campus.”
As of now, the project has raised about 8.2 million in pledges towards their goal of 9.5 million.
The architects will have new renditions of the stadium project available soon for students and Green Terror fans.
