Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Contract provides Marshall soccer with new turf
5/26/2020 9:38:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Word on the Herd
Installation has started at Hoops Family Field
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – If one would head down 5th Avenue and pass Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium, plenty of activity would be seen.
The parking lot is filled with materials, and a closer look would find that the old turf has been removed, which the Marshall men's and women's teams play on each year. The reason is simple: AstroTurf, the supplier of the original turf when the stadium opened in 2013, visited Huntington and determined the turf was failing while under warranty, so the company offered to replace the turf ahead of the 2020 season.
The cost to the Marshall athletic department: Zero.
Marshall officials were pleased AstroTurf stepped up and are happy to be in business with them, and the new turf comes at a great time for Marshall's two soccer programs. Chris Grassie, who is entering his fourth year as the Marshall men's soccer coach, led the program to unprecedented success in 2019. The Herd reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, won the Conference USA regular season and tournament championship, and finished the season ranked No. 11 nationally. There's plenty of excitement around the women's program, too, following the hire of a new head coach, Michael Swan.
"The new turf will be fantastic for us," Grassie said. "We are looking forward to playing on it. When the original turf was new, it was some of the best I'd ever been on, and it was able to pass FIFA's rigorous standards for a top-level turf pitch. We can't wait for it to be back at that level.
"Ever since I arrived here three years ago, Marshall University, (Director of Athletics) Mike Hamrick, (Associate Athletic Director) Jeff O'Malley and our administration as a whole have shown a fantastic commitment to soccer, and understand what we need to become champions. This is another endeavor that shows that commitment."
Grassie debuted as Marshall's coach in 2017 and finished 8-10-1. The following season, Marshall recorded an 8-9-3 record, and finished fifth in C-USA. By year three under Grassie, the Herd finished with a 16-3-3 record and barged into the national rankings, making history over and over along the way.
There's momentum in the men's program, and the excitement of the new in the women's program. Swan was hired Dec. 18 after being an assistant at Charlotte, and now he gets a new stadium surface in addition to his new surroundings.
"To get a brand new surface is a massive lift for our student-athletes," Swan said. "It brings excitement during this tough time and gives them added incentive to come back to campus in the fall with an added desire to perform. In the fall, we will have a top class surface that will allow us to play a great brand of soccer that we are looking to build within our program.
"As Chris has said, the commitment the administration has made to our sport shows how much they want to succeed at all levels. We have one of the top facilities in the country and with this new addition, it only pushes towards the very top."
Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium opened on Aug. 23, 2013. The $8 million stadium is at the corner of 5th Avenue and 26th Street, and sits on the old site of the Veterans Memorial Field House. The 1,006-seat stadium was the site of multiple sellouts this soccer season, first with the Herd men's team's 1-0 win against nationally ranked Kentucky on Nov. 3. That game drew a record 2,032 spectators.
Three weeks later, the Marshall men hosted and defeated WVU, 2-1, in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. That match drew 2,126, which broke the stadium record for attendance and ranked as the highest-attended NCAA Tournament game of the first two rounds of the tournament.
Grassie envisions capitalizing on that momentum with more upgrades to the home venue.
"I'm also happy that we are looking toward the future with this installation, as we have also laid the foundation for a new 360-degree camera system," Grassie said. "We will also have the capacity to make the facility adaptable, so we could move things around to fit more fans in to support us during matches at Hoops Family Field. Hopefully we will be able to put this crisis behind us, and welcome new record crowds at our complex in the near future."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
