Home games will truly be home for the football and soccer programs of Waterbury’s Holy Cross High School.
I took a trip over to Holy Cross to check out what has been going on with Alumni Field, and the line from Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams” comes to mind.
If you build it, they will come.
Well, Holy Cross is doing just that. The lines have been painted on the field, which will have its west end zone — or goal for soccer — running through the infield of the baseball diamond.
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| You can see the lines of the football and soccer fields in the infield of Holy Cross’ baseball diamond. Alumni Field will be ready for the first Crusader home games in September. |
Here’s another view of the lines, looking more toward midfield.
If you’ve been to Holy Cross for baseball and softball, and even some soccer, you know the hill by the parking lot serves as natural seating. It will be terrific for games in the fall.
The Waterbury Republican-American’s Joe Palladino reported that there will be some kind of seating on the hill, but it could just end up being a place to pull out a lawn chair. That sounds good to me.
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| Looking out at midfield at Alumni Field at Holy Cross High School. A press box is being constructed. |
Palladino said alumni funding has been put together for goalposts, a scoreboard, the field, a press box for a clock operator and an announcer, and portable bleachers on the north side of the field for the visiting team.
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| Supplies are on site for Alumni Field at Holy Cross. |
As stated before, Alumni Field will be home for football, boys soccer and girls soccer. There’s no more Ray Snyder Sr. Field at Municipal Stadium. It’s natural grass and a hillside view for the Crusader fans.
The boys soccer team gets the honor of playing the first match at the facility. Holy Cross is scheduled to host Torrington on Friday, Sept. 9, at 3:30 p.m.
Football is looking to draw a nice crowd to Alumni Field on Saturday, Sept. 10, in its 1 p.m. season opener against Kennedy.
Girls soccer plays its first match at Alumni Field on Friday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. against Wolcott.
The football team is scheduled to play rival Wolcott on Thanksgiving morning at 10 o’olock at Alumni Field. That will be interesting, given Thanksgiving games usually draw big crowds. Holy Cross athletic director Jerry Ciarleglio was quoted in Palladino’s article saying that 400 people can fit comfortably at Alumni Field.
Thanksgiving will be interesting, but we’re nowhere near that yet. The first official game is Friday, Sept. 9. A new era begins at Holy Cross. The Crusaders will be home.
