BBVA Compass Field first of many athletics facilities coming to UAB
Ray Watts, Manolo Sanchez and Mark Ingram at the dedication of BBVA Compass Field. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)
Above: Debuting the BBVA Compass Field at UAB were, from left, UAB President Ray Watts, BBVA Compass CEO Manolo Sanchez and UAB Athletic Director Mark Ingram. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)
Birmingham’s newest sports venue, BBVA Compass Field at UAB, officially debuts from uabnews on Vimeo.
Saying it is ”just the beginning,” University of Alabama at Birmingham President Ray Watts joined Blazers officials and BBVA Compass Chairman and CEO Manolo Sanchez Wednesday in debuting BBVA Compass Field.
“The great thing is, this is just the beginning, and it’s a wonderful facility to start off a series of new facilities and improvements that we’re going to invest in around UAB Athletics,” the UAB president said of the soccer stadium. “Our athletics department is better positioned than ever with a great strategic plan, great leadership, strong coaches, committed staff and great student-athletes.”
The field is named in honor of the BBVA Compass Foundation’s $1.5 million gift to the university. The UAB women’s and men’s teams played their final home matches of the season on the field on Oct. 30 and Nov. 7, respectively.
Like those games, the field featured improved lighting over the Blazers’ prior home at neighboring West Campus Field. Following the 2016 season, stadium seating will be built on both sides of BBVA Compass Field.
“At UAB, we intend to renovate and build new facilities and expand for each one of our teams,” Athletic Director Mark Ingram said. “This field and this stadium are a perfect representation of that. Our goal is to provide a world-class experience for all of our student-athletes and that would mirror the education that they’re receiving here.”
Sanchez said BBVA Compass has a history of commitment to Birmingham.
“This historic and important city plays a central role in our organization,” he said. “We have more employees here than any other city in the U.S.; 25 percent of our total 10,000 are based in Birmingham.”
In the short term, West Campus Field will provide practice space for UAB soccer. It will eventually be the site of a new track and serve as the home of UAB women’s track and field.
But that is down the line.
“You’ve heard discussions about our football operations facility,” Ingram said. “That would be the next facility on the horizon.”
Asked about a possible stadium for the restored football program, Watts said UAB’s planning team and athletics department have been working with the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex concerning a proposed stadium, discussing how a lease would work.
“We’re really excited about that,” the president said.
Sanchez said the improved soccer facility will enhance the programs at UAB.
“Having this kind of infrastructure will make a huge difference,” he said. “This kind of infrastructure will take the program to the next level.”
Women’s coach Harold Warren said people across the nation know about the Blazers getting their new soccer home.
“It’s going to be one of the best facilities in the country,” he said.
Mike Getman, the men’s coach, said the field is already “a venue for fun.”
“What matters to our players is this field,” he said. “It’s big. It’s flat. It’s smooth. It lets you play soccer the way we want to play. As the rest of the project gets finished, it’ll make a difference for our fans and recruits. We’re already unbelievably excited.”
BBVA Compass has previously had an impact on soccer in other communities, including Houston, where Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo plays in BBVA Compass Stadium. On Wednesday, Dynamo midfielder Rob Lovejoy joined UAB soccer players in leading fourth- and fifth-graders from nearby Glen Iris Elementary in soccer drills on the new field.
