An Opportunity to Play

Anonymous gifts will create a new home for Wildcat athletics

Monday, December 4, 2017

The Wildcat soccer and and lacrosse teams will soon have a new place to call home, thanks to a generous $800,000 grant made through the Eleanor and Clarence Prevo Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. A new soccer and lacrosse facility will be built adjacent to Wildcat Stadium, on the site of Lewis Field, and used by UNH athletic teams as well as the Oyster River Youth Association’s soccer program — making it an important bridge between the university and the wider community.

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“This will allow our teams to train effectively and continue to foster opportunities for our programs to give back to the local community,” says Marc Hubbard, head coach for UNH men’s soccer. “I look forward to using this facility as another way to give back to not only the Oyster River community but also to the state of New Hampshire.”

Reflecting the collaborative spirit of the initiative, a second anonymous donor recently made two additional gifts toward the project: an outright gift of $28,000, and an additional $25,000 “challenge grant” that will become available when donors match the funds. Groundbreaking for the facility will take place in spring 2018 if project funds reach $1.5 million.

The new complex, which will create critical flexibility for practice and game schedules for all three sports, will be built out in several phases. An artificial field will go in first, followed by lighting and seating. Team benches and a press area with storage will be built once the project is fully funded.

The donors behind the Prevo grant, who have earmarked an additional $200,000 for Northeast Passage (NEP) adaptive sports programs, say they support the values and leadership that come from strong student athletic programs. “Our goal is to ensure all athletes are afforded an opportunity to play and we are fortunate to be able to help UNH, NEP and the Oyster River community create facilities and support programs that share our common mission.”