If you are familiar with athletics at Saint Louis University, you know that not all sports compete or practice on campus. Due to the size and location of the campus itself, it is difficult to find space for sports facilities on campus. Sports held on campus include baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming/diving, track and field, softball, and volleyball, while sports that hold home events off campus include cross country, tennis, and more. , field hockey, etc. But for the women's team at SLU Field Her Hockey, this situation is about to change.
The field hockey team currently practices and hosts home games at Sportsport International, an outdoor field complex located in Maryland Heights, Missouri. This facility is about 30 minutes from his SLU. That means a typical practice or game requires about an additional hour of commute time per girl. We believe this is not ideal for the team and a decision was recently made regarding a new field hockey pitch to be used for both practice and games. President Fred Pestello and Athletic Director Chris May have agreed to establish a field hockey field on campus, which will be ready for play before the start of the 2024 season. Field hockey is played on especially wet astroturf, which requires the construction of an entirely new field to ensure it meets the required standards for play. The field will be located on South Campus.
University News first obtained this breaking news. Midtown Madness Podcast, a podcast hosted by Zach Miller and Peter Hale covering all things Billiken sports news. A subsequent interview with SLU Athletic Director Chris May confirmed this information.
of Midtown Madness Podcast is currently in its fourth season and announced the news that SLU will be installing a field hockey pitch during episode 18 of this season, which was released on December 11th.th2023. In our conversation, Hale shares her perspective on the time-saving benefits the field provides girls.
“There's a difference in the quality of life of just going to the medical school campus versus going all the way to Earth City…In terms of time spent, they're getting their lives back.” I commute to work,” Hale said on the podcast.
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Instead of the 30-minute drive to each practice or game, the entire team only has to make the trip down Grand Boulevard, significantly reducing commute time.
Beyond the team and coaching staff, the location change will also make commuting easier for fans, especially SLU students. At Maryland Heights, the current venue for the game, teams are forced to use the student section during games because many students do not have cars on campus and there is no transportation provided by the university to get them to and from the field. It is rare to set up and support it. hockey game. If there was a field on the south campus, students would likely attend home games more often because they would only need to take the campus shuttle to get there. Athletic Director Chris May commented on these impacts of the field.
“This is focused on the SLU community and is a great way for students to come and observe and support each other,” May said.
May explained how the field installation impacts the three objectives of the SLU Athletic Department, including education, competition and community building. With the addition of a field hockey field on campus, the SLU community will be further united through support of the Billiken sport.
The addition of an on-campus field hockey field has been long-awaited by both the team and its fans, and is sure to reduce travel time and provide the women's field hockey team with an atmosphere of Billiken pride. The excitement is sure to continue next season as the field hockey team will be the first group to play on this new field and will have the opportunity to determine the future direction of the program.
