New fields are under construction to accommodate Saginaw Valley’s intramural, club, and intercollegiate teams and will be ready for use by fall 2017.
SVSU’s Executive Vice President for Administration and Business Affairs Jim Muladore said the development of the new fields are part of Saginaw Valley’s Campus Master Plan.
“The Campus Master Plan, which we updated in 2012, included discussion on expansion of outdoor facilities for student recreation to accommodate growth in intramural and club sport activities,” Muladore said. “The bidding process was in late spring of this year, and construction began in early July.”
The field will be prepped and seeded for potential spring and summer use by the end of September, and sports camps in the area may be able to use the field during the summer months.
Muladore said funding for these new intramural fields are provided by University long-term capital and other forms of income from external groups.
Soccer camps are included in those external groups, which contract to use SVSU’s athletic facilities.
“The project budget is $1.9 million, which includes construction of an equipment storage facility on the fields and construction of a press box for the existing intercollegiate soccer field,” said Muladore. “We have not yet bids for the storage facility or press box.”
Aside from funding the project, another part of the process was location planning.
Selecting a desirable location for the new fields took between three and four months over the course of the winter, and university officials collaborated with an architect and civil engineer to decide where on campus the fields would be located.
The main goal was finding a suitable place on campus that would accommodate outdoor sports like lacrosse and soccer. Therefore, the new intramural fields are located north of the C-lot near the Athletic Complex.
Heather Harvey, SVSU’s Intramural Sports Coordinator, is looking forward to the new fields and believes it will positively impact SVSU’s student body.
“The new fields may be used by a variety of sports,” Harvey said. “The entire student body will be able to take advantage of the new fields and what they have to offer.”
Over 2,000 athletes participate in intramural sports and club sports here at SVSU.
“The new fields will benefit not only the intramural athletes, but also the club sport athletes and the general student body,” Harvey said.
Aaron Mowen, SVSU’s Director of Campus Recreation, is also excited the project was officially approved by the Board of Control in the spring of 2016.
“The topic of new fields had been introduced due to the growth of intramural and club sports on campus over the past five years,” Mowen said.
Mowen said there will be many benefits and opportunities for students after the new fields are constructed.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of intramural and club sports at SVSU,” he said.