Fairfield’s new sports arena scheduled to open in 2021
FAIRFIELD — The faces change but invariably the No. 1 question Paul Schlickmann has been asked since becoming director of athletics at Fairfield University is always the same.
With no disrespect to Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, the most loyal of Fairfield basketball fans have unforgettable memories of some classic showdowns at the oncampus Alumni Hall facility and have asked to bring that sense of excitement back to home basketball games.
Obviously, Schlickmann and other Fairfield big wigs were listening because details were recently announced for the construction of the state of the art Convocation Center, which is set to open in 2021 at the current site of Alumni Hall.
The 85,000 squarefoot facility will have a seating capacity of 3,500, which is about 1,000 more than Alumni Hall can currently hold. The cost will be in the range of $45 million and, in a word, Schlickmann calls the future home of Fairfield basketball and volleyball “modern.”
“This is kind of a culmination of Fairfield 2020 master plan,” Schlickmann said. “In my view it is a centerpiece, a crown jewel if you will.
“There are some folks who are associated with Fairfield either internally or externally who would say that this is a concept of redoing. Building a new Alumni Hall has been talked about for years, a couple of decades . ... I would say it got a lot of momentum and picked up in earnest in the last year and a half, so we have really seen a lot of forward progress with it with the planning, the design, the fundraising in particular, I would say in the last year so, that has been exciting and very pleasing to see that type of momentum and consensus towards moving forward.”
There is still work to be done before any construction on the project, including getting final approval from the Fairfield University Board of Trustees and town of Fairfield. Schlickmann said progress in fundraising and other necessary benchmarks are encouraging enough that the university was confident in announcing plans earlier this month for the Convocation Center to open in 2021. Schlickmann doesn’t have a dropdead date for when the final approval would be needed to get the construction started by the spring, but it will be included in upcoming Board of Trustee meetings in the fall and the winter.
“We have some more benchmarks to hit and more work to do over the course of the academic year,” Schlickmann said. “We’ve made a lot of progress on the fundraising marks but we have some more benchmarks to hit for the final goahead fom the board to proceed with the project.”
Alumni Hall opened in 1959 and for years hosted not only local high school and college sporting events, but also political rallies and concerts. In recent years more home basketball games have been played in Bridgeport than on campus and that hasn’t gone over well with some of the program’s most loyal fans.
“The question I am asked the most often is when are you going to bring basketball back on campus so people are chomping at the bit,” said Schlickmann , who came to Fairfield from Central Connecticut in 2017. “Last year we played seven games back at Alumni Hall, have eight this year, kind of regenerating, revitalizing that sense of community spirit so families, their children and alums in the area can get them back in the groove of coming back to games. We are excited for what a brand new venue can do to kind of make our programs their hometown team and that venue their goto place. It is multi faceted in terms of the positive impact that it will have.
“It is going provide an amazing asset to our men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs for their competitiveness, for our ability to recruit in a very competitive world of midmajor athletics. It is going to be an incredible asset for the university in terms of the multifaceted venue it can be for bigger events.”
Newly hired Fairfield men’s basketball coach Jay Young is excited about having a new home court coming to campus in a couple of years.
“It becomes a game changer for our program,” Young said. “We will play wherever we need to play but as soon as they throw it up, we'll be ready and that is an exciting aspect of being here.”
Schlickmann said that the money necessary for the project will come from donation and fundraising and won’t be passed onto Fairfield students or their families.
Barring any setbacks, work could be starting by the spring and Schlickmann estimated that it would take from 18 to 24 months to complete work. An 18month timetable would allow the Convocation Center to be ready for business in time for the 202122 basketball season. Naturally the volleyball and basketball teams will need to find places to practice and play home games while construction is going on. Webster Bank Arena will be utilized for basketball games and plans for the volleyball home base are still being worked out. The rowing team also does some of its dryland training at Alumni Hall, so that is another team that will have some adjustments to make.
Schlickmann said while there are no naming rights currently on the building, the university will certainly be willing to listen. Between now and the opening of the building there will be plenty of discussion of how to bring some of the history from Alumni Hall and make it part of the Convocation Center.
“We have been very cognizant of that,” Schlickmann said. “One of the best parts of Fairfield is the sense of tradition and history even though we are still a relatively young institution. You hear our longtime season ticket holders and alums who speak very excitedly and passionately about being in the bleachers at Alumni Hall and Red Sea madness, having that remain a huge positive aspect of their educational experience. It is certainly something that has been on my mind a lot as we develop a new place to try to take the best of what Alumni Hall has to offer in its heyday, try to recreate that and make it better.
“When you’re are sitting my my chair and trying to create a great gameday experience for your fans, you think about amenities for students, faculty, staff, town folks, alumni and all of that. I am sure for a lot of folks there will be some mixed emotions but I think the excitement about the modern building and bringing Stags basketball and volleyball back to campus will carry the day.”