GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — When he was named UW-Green Bay’s head soccer coach 40 years ago, Aldo Santaga couldn’t have imagined a field like the new one that bears his name.
You know I grew up in a country where there is no grass,” said Santaga. “North Africa, the people of Libya, we play on sand beaches or on ground when it’s held down by cinders. Now to come here and see this kind of field, it’s phenomenal.”
The 83-year-old Santaga led the first-kick event for the stadium’s grand opening Friday night. Women’s team captain Brianna Messner capped it off.
“When I came in my freshman year, 2013, we were promised to have this facility prior to me coming in,” said Messner, who is from Seymour. “To have it come now and be able to train on the smooth surface every single day, the same facility we get to play on, it makes such a big difference.”
The field and stadium was paid for mostly through private donations. However, students also agreed to pay more in activity fees to make it possible.
“Division one athletics is absolutely essential to our future,” said Gary Miller, UW-Green Bay’s Chancellor. “We’ll continue to grow and expand this program and make it strong.”
The stadium’s bleachers sit 600 to 700 people. If those start filling up, there’s room to expand the bleachers for 2,000 people, according to Athletics Director Charles Guthrie.
“But the reality is with this new facility, it’s also brought new interest from the community,” said Guthrie. “Now we’re starting to see an uptick in crowds coming to the games.”
The University says the stadium project came in on time and under budget. Some of that extra money will go to the school’s softball field, which will also be turf.
