The University of Maine held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new outdoor track, soccer and basketball facilities on Saturday.
The new soccer facility and outdoor track should be ready sometime next October while the multi-purpose Morse Arena, which will be home to the two basketball programs, has a target date of the 2027-28 season, according to University of Maine Athletic Director Jude Killy.
A $170 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation for facilities upgrades and other multi-million dollar donations are paying for the construction.
New Balance Athletics donated $7 million toward the track and soccer field and Phil and Susan Morse provided a $10 million commitment for the multi-purpose arena.
Killy said construction on the track and soccer fields is expected to begin right after Thanksgiving and the entire project will cost “a little bit north of $20 million.”
The track will not circle the soccer field. They will be separate venues with the soccer field oriented north and south behind Mahaney Diamond while the track will run east to west behind the field hockey facility, according to Killy.
“We hope to have the track operational in some capacity next fall and be ready for the spring of 2026 and we are shooting for the soccer field to be ready in October but I have no idea whether it will be Oct. 1 or Oct. 30,” said Killy. “We’d like to play as many home games as possible.”
The reigning two-time America East women’s soccer championship team has been playing on Mahaney Diamond for several years.
It will have a press box, scoreboard, lights and seating for 500 which include chairback and bleacher seats.
A new field hockey facility and softball complex have already been built in the past three years with money from the Harold Alfond Foundation gift.
The Morse Arena should be ready during the 2027-28 season but Killy said he would love to see it be open for the start of the campaign.
Both basketball teams currently play in the antiquated Memorial Gym, which was built in 1933.
Killy said the new arena will cost in the vicinity of $80 million and will seat approximately 2,500.
“We are currently in the schematic design phase for the arena,” said Killy.
Killy noted that the $45 million renovation to Alfond Arena has been going along well and he is hoping that will be completed by the end of the 2025 calendar year.
Killy said he feels grateful to all the donors who have come forward to improve the facilities at UMaine and to UMaine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy and President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and the UMaine Board of Trustees for their support.
“Everybody is aligned about what we want from athletics and how it can help the university,” said Killy. “I feel really fortunate to have them believe in us and support us.”