Inside Civic: The Field
October 13, 2017
A fieldhouse, turf field, and grandstand — these three components of Civic Park are often mentioned but few people know the range of opportunities each feature will provide. In this four-part blog series, we will examine each of these main areas of the facility plus the other outdoor features including two outdoor courts, a bikepath, and pocket park. Join us for this inside look at Civic Park!
For those of you who played a field sport when you were young, take a moment to remember what it was like the first time you got to play on a “nice” field. Maybe you grew up practicing on a mostly-dirt field that turned to mud at the first drop of rain. Or maybe your field contained more weeds than grass and come springtime, it yielded a carpet of dandelions which you or your kindergarten teammates enjoyed picking (often during games).When you got the chance, the feeling of stepping out onto a well-kept field for the first time was special. There’s something inspiring about a field like that, and we want every player at Civic Park to experience that feeling. Civic Park’s field will carry on the legacy that Civic Stadium left behind as a place where local athletes can experience the joy of playing the sports they love on their home turf. Alternate: The new field will carry on the Civic legacy—a special place where hometown heroes of every age play the sport they love.
The field at Civic Park will be located on the west side of the site, between Willamette Street and the KIDSPORTS Fieldhouse. To ensure that the field is durable and available for use in the winter months, it will be constructed out of synthetic turf. We anticipate a high volume of use for the field. Using turf will ensure that marshy field conditions (like those of early football games at Civic), are not an issue.
The list of sports that the field will host is extensive. Soccer, rugby, flag football, lacrosse, ultimate Frisbee, field hockey, t-ball, kickball, dodgeball, and more will take place on the Civic Park field. Youth sports programs, adult recreational leagues, college sports teams, and semi-professional sports teams have expressed an interest in using the field at Civic for practices and competitions. The field will be large enough to host professional matches and can be split up into eight smaller fields for youth soccer games and tournaments.
From youth lacrosse practices to Lane United FC home games, the field will allow support ECA’s goal of improving health and fitness in our community by increasing the opportunities people have to play and watch sports. Sadly, Eugene is currently six fields short of the recommended number of sport fields per capita. According to the State of Oregon’s Outdoor Recreation Plan. Civic Park’s field won’t solve this issue, but it will be a big step toward alleviating the burden on other fields around town that are over-scheduled and over-crowded.
We are confident that the field at Civic Park will help meet some of Eugene’s biggest health and community needs. We look forward to the day when we will all get to sit in the stands and watch the first game played at a new Civic Park. Play On Civic!
If you would like to learn more about the field at Civic Park and how your team, league, or club could use the facility, please submit your questions via our contact form or call 541-525-6601.
