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Duke Breaks Ground on Jim Sabiston Field House
3/16/2022 10:05:00 AM | Field Hockey
DURHAM – Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, the home of the Duke field hockey program, will look a lot different when the Blue Devils take to the turf next fall.
Through the generosity of supporters of Duke field hockey and with a lead donation from Susan and Jim Sabiston, Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium will undergo significant renovations . The project scope of what will be the Jim Sabiston Field House is to renovate the interior of the existing field house and add 1,088 square feet onto the back of the current building, which will house a new locker room for the Blue Devils.
"I had never gone to a field hockey game and never really thought anything about it, but the more [Ryan Miller] talked to me the more I was interested. And when I came to campus and I got to meet Coach Pam [Bustin] and some of the girls and watch some games, it just seemed like a great fit," said Susan Sabiston.
"I am beyond grateful for Susan Sabiston's commitment to initiate this important project," said Duke head coach Pam Bustin. "Her genuine interest in providing top-notch resources to our field hockey student-athletes has led the way and inspired others to get involved and extend their monetary generosity."
In addition to a new locker room, Duke's current team room will be expanded from 288 square feet to 527 square feet, a 45 percent increase in space. The existing kitchen in the field house will be enlarged and a conference room will be added in off the current entrance. The meeting space, which will include four lockers for the coaching staff and a 65-inch television, will give the Blue Devils a place to have individual and group meetings and watch game and practice film.
The brand new locker room in the Jim Sabiston Field House is approximately 700 square feet with 23 custom lockers. The lockers are 30 inches in depth and 36 in height and feature a 12-inch cushioned seating area in front of each locker. With each student-athlete having plenty of space for equipment, the locker room also will be a space where the Blue Devils can build their team bonds throughout a season in a comfortable and spacious setting.
"Jim would want to be a part of Duke still, and even though he doesn't technically have his foot on this earth, he would still want to be a part of Duke. And from what I've seen at field hockey he would be all in," Susan Sabiston said. "He definitely would love it. [This project] was like a puzzle that got put together really quickly in my mind. This is the perfect thing and Jim would love it and I knew he would when I made the [commitment].
One of the final details will be the installation of a new state-of-the-art audio visual system that will tie in to the stadium sound system. This will allow the Blue Devils to run music from the locker room out to the field.
With no detail left unturned, adjacent to the new locker room will be an athletic training room where the Duke sports medicine staff can evaluate student-athletes as well as handle all of the gameday preparations. This includes a pair of lockers for athletic medicine staff as well as adequate storage.
One of the coolest features of the building will be the installation of antimicrobial lighting by Vyv throughout the team spaces, assuring the space is safe and clean at all times. This new antimicrobial technology works non-stop, around the clock to kill bacteria and stop the growth of these microbes on equipment and surfaces with proven results.
The officials locker room increases in square footage as well with three lockers available for the gameday officials. This gives the crew a private area to cool down or warm up and discuss the game.
Last but certainly not least, the current turf on Williams Field will be removed and the newest state-of-the-art blue turf, Tokyo GT will be laid down. The new surface, which was first introduced in theTokyo Olympics has countless benefits, including being more sustainable.
Poligras Tokyo GT (Green Technology) is a new sustainable hockey turf, developed by Sport Group to help Tokyo meet the goal of having a carbon-neutral Olympic games. This new sustainable hockey turf is the first of its kind to feature filaments made from over 60% re-growable raw materials. To develop the technology and the product AstroTurf engaged a wide range of resources from Europe, the United States and Australia. This included chemical engineers, testing- materials scientists, extrusion-technology specialists, chemists, and process engineers. And to ensure the turf was good for 'laying and playing' AstroTurf also worked with their construction engineers and with sports-mechanical experts and hockey players.
This premium playing surface is composed of 60% Sugar Cane, saves CO2, and uses less water. These hockey turfs are making a positive contribution to the environment and creating an entirely new category of hockey turf that AstroTurf likes to refer to as "Climate Positive Hockey".
"The team building will create an exceptional learning and training environment to assist our ambitious and appreciative student-athletes," Bustin said. "I cannot wait to begin the next era of Duke True in our new home and upon our new turf!"
"I'm so impressed with Coach Pam. She just impresses me on and off the [field]," Sabiston said. "Everything I do or get involved in like this, especially since this is really Jim's name will be there is thinking about 'What will he say?' I just think he would love her. He would love getting to be familiar about the sport of field hockey. I'm excited Jim can still be a part of Duke, forever."
The Blue Devils look forward to breaking in the new turf when the student-athletes return to campus for preseason action in August. The team will move in the Jim Sabiston Field House in September as the season officially gets underway.
Duke is slated to host the 2022 ACC Championship and the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Championship,putting this incredible facility at the forefront of the sport.
#GoDukeThrough the generosity of supporters of Duke field hockey and with a lead donation from Susan and Jim Sabiston, Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium will undergo significant renovations . The project scope of what will be the Jim Sabiston Field House is to renovate the interior of the existing field house and add 1,088 square feet onto the back of the current building, which will house a new locker room for the Blue Devils.
"I had never gone to a field hockey game and never really thought anything about it, but the more [Ryan Miller] talked to me the more I was interested. And when I came to campus and I got to meet Coach Pam [Bustin] and some of the girls and watch some games, it just seemed like a great fit," said Susan Sabiston.
"I am beyond grateful for Susan Sabiston's commitment to initiate this important project," said Duke head coach Pam Bustin. "Her genuine interest in providing top-notch resources to our field hockey student-athletes has led the way and inspired others to get involved and extend their monetary generosity."
In addition to a new locker room, Duke's current team room will be expanded from 288 square feet to 527 square feet, a 45 percent increase in space. The existing kitchen in the field house will be enlarged and a conference room will be added in off the current entrance. The meeting space, which will include four lockers for the coaching staff and a 65-inch television, will give the Blue Devils a place to have individual and group meetings and watch game and practice film.
The brand new locker room in the Jim Sabiston Field House is approximately 700 square feet with 23 custom lockers. The lockers are 30 inches in depth and 36 in height and feature a 12-inch cushioned seating area in front of each locker. With each student-athlete having plenty of space for equipment, the locker room also will be a space where the Blue Devils can build their team bonds throughout a season in a comfortable and spacious setting.
"Jim would want to be a part of Duke still, and even though he doesn't technically have his foot on this earth, he would still want to be a part of Duke. And from what I've seen at field hockey he would be all in," Susan Sabiston said. "He definitely would love it. [This project] was like a puzzle that got put together really quickly in my mind. This is the perfect thing and Jim would love it and I knew he would when I made the [commitment].
One of the final details will be the installation of a new state-of-the-art audio visual system that will tie in to the stadium sound system. This will allow the Blue Devils to run music from the locker room out to the field.
With no detail left unturned, adjacent to the new locker room will be an athletic training room where the Duke sports medicine staff can evaluate student-athletes as well as handle all of the gameday preparations. This includes a pair of lockers for athletic medicine staff as well as adequate storage.
One of the coolest features of the building will be the installation of antimicrobial lighting by Vyv throughout the team spaces, assuring the space is safe and clean at all times. This new antimicrobial technology works non-stop, around the clock to kill bacteria and stop the growth of these microbes on equipment and surfaces with proven results.
The officials locker room increases in square footage as well with three lockers available for the gameday officials. This gives the crew a private area to cool down or warm up and discuss the game.
Last but certainly not least, the current turf on Williams Field will be removed and the newest state-of-the-art blue turf, Tokyo GT will be laid down. The new surface, which was first introduced in theTokyo Olympics has countless benefits, including being more sustainable.
Poligras Tokyo GT (Green Technology) is a new sustainable hockey turf, developed by Sport Group to help Tokyo meet the goal of having a carbon-neutral Olympic games. This new sustainable hockey turf is the first of its kind to feature filaments made from over 60% re-growable raw materials. To develop the technology and the product AstroTurf engaged a wide range of resources from Europe, the United States and Australia. This included chemical engineers, testing- materials scientists, extrusion-technology specialists, chemists, and process engineers. And to ensure the turf was good for 'laying and playing' AstroTurf also worked with their construction engineers and with sports-mechanical experts and hockey players.
This premium playing surface is composed of 60% Sugar Cane, saves CO2, and uses less water. These hockey turfs are making a positive contribution to the environment and creating an entirely new category of hockey turf that AstroTurf likes to refer to as "Climate Positive Hockey".
"The team building will create an exceptional learning and training environment to assist our ambitious and appreciative student-athletes," Bustin said. "I cannot wait to begin the next era of Duke True in our new home and upon our new turf!"
"I'm so impressed with Coach Pam. She just impresses me on and off the [field]," Sabiston said. "Everything I do or get involved in like this, especially since this is really Jim's name will be there is thinking about 'What will he say?' I just think he would love her. He would love getting to be familiar about the sport of field hockey. I'm excited Jim can still be a part of Duke, forever."
The Blue Devils look forward to breaking in the new turf when the student-athletes return to campus for preseason action in August. The team will move in the Jim Sabiston Field House in September as the season officially gets underway.
Duke is slated to host the 2022 ACC Championship and the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Championship,putting this incredible facility at the forefront of the sport.
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