York University Sport & Recreation officially opened its new, state-of-the-art turf field at York Stadium on Saturday.
On Saturday, the York Lions gathered for the official unveiling of their new turf
Constructed by FieldTurf and Hermanns Contracting Ltd., the surface represents the latest in synthetic turf technology. This field marks yet another large step the University has taken to place itself on the map as a leading school in both academics and athletics.
“The installation of this turf is a game changer for York, and brings us in parallel with some of the best programs in the OUA [Ontario University Athletics] and CIS [Canadian Interuniversity Sports],” said Jennifer Myers, director, Sport & Recreation. “We could not have realized this goal without the tremendous support from the University. I am proud of this new surface and pleased that our students and athletes have the best surface possible to compete and perform on.”
The new artificial turf and field lights will allow the University to increase programming on its main stadium by more than five times its current usage. This will provide a consistent training and competition environment for the Lions football and soccer teams, as well as extend the length of the season and daily usage for students and community members.
“We are very excited to have York’s first synthetic surface,” said Lions football head coach Warren Craney. “The opportunity to practice and play on a state-of-the-art field and under the lights on campus is unbeatable. The new field is a nice lead into an amazing few years to come for this program.”
It was a successful first weekend for Lions teams at the new stadium. The football squad earned its first victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks since 2002 with a 33-20 win on Saturday, while on Sunday afternoon the No. 1 nationally-ranked men’s soccer team knocked off the No. 10 Western Mustangs by a score of 5-1 and the women’s soccer team earned a 1-1 draw with the Mustangs.
“Playing on the new turf was great,” said York second-year midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye. “The surface is very fast and it’s a lot of fun to play on it. It feels great to have a new home, and I’m glad we gave it a good opening!”
In addition to the Lions football and soccer teams, the new turf also gives the field hockey squad a place to practice and play on campus and provides additional space for intramural and recreation programming.