On September 13th, Bowling Green State University had the official field dedication for The Student Green, a new turf field that is going to be home to BGSU Club Sports and the Falcon Marching Band. With alumni, proud donors, and members of the board of trustees in attendance, BGSU held a ceremony thanking their donors who were able to make the field a possibility. With donors like Paul Hooker, who graciously donated over 1 million dollars to make this happen, the university was able to complete the project in time for the Homecoming weekend celebrations.
With field dimensions to support Club Sport programs like Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Soccer, as well as a new Women's Flag Football program, along with many others. BGSU Club Sports now showcases one of the premier training facilities for their Club Sports programs not only in the Midwest, but in the nation.
Bill Switaj, Director of Club Sports, was able to provide some insight into what this means for our programs.
"The Student Green allows us to offer additional sports, due to having another field with lights to practice and play games. In addition to bringing more students onto campus, it allows for a better and safer practice and game environment of our existing club teams."
Stu Smith, Assistant Director of Club Sports and Director of Lacrosse, also gave insight into what this means for the Lacrosse programs:
"The Student Green is going to directly affect the growth and quality of both the men's and women's lacrosse programs here. Having a lit turf field, lined for both teams, allows for not only more practices but optimal practice times. It also makes scheduling games and even hosting tournaments much easier. This field will help with the growth of lacrosse within Northwest Ohio. "
Students can already feel the shift in our programs, with access to premier time slots for practice. Teams will now be able to focus on improving their players, with a hope and will for more success among their programs.
Men's Lacrosse President,
Matt Jones, was asked to speak on behalf of the Club Sports programs on what this field means in terms of growth and how this will establish a new precedent.
"It was an absolute honor to represent Club Sports at the Student Green dedication. Club Sports quickly became my primary non-academic activity since arriving at Bowling Green, and many of my relationships, professional advancements, and even personal growth can be credited to my time as a part of Men's Lacrosse. I am thrilled to see how this new facility will benefit so many current and future Club Sports athletes the same way Club Sports benefitted me!"
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, all members who attended were treated to a surprise from the Falcon Marching band. With a performance that included our almost 500 strong, the Falcon Marching Band gave our alumni, donors and attendees a terrific show. Through roarous applause and cheers, the showcase of what a University backed by the community that surrounds it was visible.
Throughout this whole process, our Club Sports programs have been waiting patiently to take advantage of these new amenities. With The Student Green now complete and with games actively being played on it, the level of our programs has just gone up a notch. Through campus collaboration with University assistant coaches providing Division 1 level coaching to our programs, to usage of premier training facilities, our students, current and prospective, will truly get the full student experience we speak on at Bowling Green State University.
With all of the major changes within the past few years of Club Sports, our main focus has been and will continue to be the student experience. With everything we do, we strive to improve upon all measures of our current state, through the support and focus from our community.
For everything surrounding BGSU Club Sports, check out our social media below:
- Instagram: @bgsuclubsports
- Facebook: BGSU Club Sports
- LinkedIn: BGSU Club Sports
