Calvin Athletics stadium construction update

As the semester comes to a close, the timeline for Calvin Athletics’ outdoor infrastructure investments still remains in flux. The plan has changed for now from two turf fields to one. Currently, the field is not playable and may not be fully completed for some time.

While administrators are hopeful about the renovations, there have been unexpected challenges. Associate Director of Athletics Amber Warners explained to Chimes the intricacies of the project. Calvin’s campus is in East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids and Kentwood, which means that in order to start renovating, Calvin has to get approval from all three cities. That approval has taken longer than anticipated. “There are so many layers of planning … all of the ducks have to be in a row in order to actually start,” said Warners. 

Originally, Calvin Athletics wanted to have two turf fields, but as of right now, only one can be completed. “We realized construction-wise, we can’t [build two stadiums since] it would take significantly more resources … Now we are focusing on the soccer field and the plans around the soccer field,” said Warners. Plans are still pretty flexible. “I could meet with someone in two weeks and the timeline could change,” Warners added.

Calvin Athletics hopes to start building the stadium and the turf field this summer, and it should take around one year to complete the project. The stadium project is going to be completed in phases. There are a lot of amenities that Calvin wants to add to the outdoor stadium like locker rooms, athletic training facilities, and ticket booths and concessions. “We are working hours every week to try and get these plans finalized, from the planning, to the architecture and plans for the builders — it’s a way bigger process than I ever thought,” Warners said. Nevertheless, Calvin Athletics fully anticipates for the turf fields to be playable by soccer season, but the stadium itself will not be done until later.

Calvin Football program update

In the midst of the renovations, Calvin Football Head Coach Trent Figg is still recruiting players for the first football team at Calvin. Figg has recruited 46 players and hopes to recruit around five more players. “I feel really excited about the kids that we are bringing in here and the kids that are on campus right now.” Recruited players report to campus on Aug. 17 and will practice through the end of the fall season. Calvin Football also hopes to play two full scrimmages this fall.

While the stadium is under construction, Figg told Chimes that Calvin Football will play its 2024 season home games at Grand Rapids Christian High School, and the football team will utilize facilities in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex until their stadium is built. According to Figg, the goal is to possibly have two stadiums done by the beginning of the fall 2025 season.

While Figg pulls a team together, Calvin’s advancement office has been working to raise the $400,000 to $500,000 in startup funds needed to launch the program, as well as funds for ongoing renovation and construction plans.

Figg said that building the football team from scratch has been “a fun challenge.” He explained that everyone from President Wiebe Boer to Timmer has been working together to ensure that the football program succeeds. Something that has been a challenge is getting recruits to buy into a program that has yet to play a single game. “Sharing the vision with high school students and their parents with no product to show them, just because we haven’t played yet … is a challenge,” Figg said.