Laurier Athletics celebrates re-opening of Alumni Field

April 21, 2023

Wilfrid Laurier University students, leaders and community members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 20 to celebrate the renovation and re-opening of Alumni Field, located on the east side of the university’s Waterloo campus.

“Mixed-use spaces like this truly build a thriving community for not only our university, but also our neighbours,” said Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy, who attended the event. “We are grateful to the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association, the Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association for their generous gifts in support of the new field.”

Thursday’s event served as a soft launch, as there are a few remaining improvements to be made. When complete, Alumni Field will include updated turf and seating, a press box, scoreboard and a centre-field gateway feature. The field has been expanded to FIFA-regulation size, making it more suitable for soccer, rugby and lacrosse competitions.

“Alumni Field is an incredibly valuable and popular space for athletics, recreation and social connection – it is truly the heart of our program and our campus community in Waterloo,” said Kate McCrae Bristol, director of Laurier Athletics and Recreation. “As you can see when you look at the field, students are already using it and they have been since we re-opened the field.”

Students have been using Alumni Field since it was re-opened in January, some braving cold temperatures and snow to utilize the facility during the winter months. As the weather has warmed in the spring, student usage of the renovated field has increased steadily. Increased usage of the field serves as an indication of how valuable the renovations are to the Laurier community – and what Alumni Field means to Laurier students.

“This is more than just a new field,” said Laurier women’s soccer team member Jyanessa Sealy, a second-year Science student. “It will be a place of highs and lows and wins for incoming Golden Hawks. Hopefully it will bring more recognition to the sports that will be played on it and will build campus support and spirit. I am proud to be a Golden Hawk and have an opportunity to experience the new Alumni Field.”

Renovations to Alumni Field were made possible by donors, with significant gifts from the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association, the Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association.

Alumni Field renovations are scheduled to be complete by late summer 2023.