Vaso’s Field getting upgraded
Vaso’s Field, the main outdoor athletic facility at Durham College, will be upgrading to artificial turf later this summer. (Photo courtesy of Durham College)
The main athletic field for Durham College and UOIT will soon undergo a significant makeover.
Vaso’s Field, named after soccer coach Vaso Vujanovic, will be converted into an artificial multi-sport facility in time for this fall.
The conversion from natural grass to a FIFA-certified sports field will allow for more student events to take place on campus. The project is scheduled to finish in August in time for varsity training camps.
“We are extremely excited to be upgrading our on campus outdoor sports playing facility to artificial turf,” said athletic director Ken Babcock. “Vaso’s Field will become a state-of-the-art venue for the Lords outdoor teams as well as provide new opportunities for student intramural and recreation event programming that currently does not exist.”
The facility will include artificial infill turf by AstroTurf Inc., which will make Vaso’s Field the first in Canada to have the new product.
“The real advantage is that we won’t have to worry any longer about getting our games and events in due to rain,” Babcock says.
The facility will also feature eight change rooms, varsity team rooms, a press box with television broadcasting capabilities, a VIP viewing box and bleachers that will accommodate up to 500 fans.
In addition, the current lighting system will be replaced with new energy efficient LED stadium lighting.
The turf upgrade is the latest in a line of efforts to improve sporting facilities at the north end post-secondary institutions.
In 2015, the Campus Tennis Centre was converted to a multi-sport turf facility, which also allowed for enhanced, year-round programming opportunities and addressed a student demand for more opportunities for recreational activities around campus.
“The new leading-edge infill artificial turf product with root zone (Astro Turf) we are installing will be the first of its kind at a post-secondary school in Canada,” Babcock says. “The new field will also allow for Durham College to host major provincial and national events right on campus.”