On Saturday, Sept. 27, the New Balance Track and Field and Soccer Complex was officially unveiled along with the renovated Shawn Walsh Hockey Center and Alfond Arena. These new additions for University of Maine athletics will be transformative to the athletes and future of the programs.
“With support from the Harold Alfond Foundation, New Balance, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and countless supporters, these modernized facilities will elevate the state’s only NCAA Division 1 athletics program while creating new opportunities for the people of Maine, especially youth,” said UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy.
The day consisted of a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the soccer field with the women’s soccer team and the track and field team. The two teams then headed to the Alfond Arena to join the men’s hockey team where sponsors, New Balance executives, staff and fans were given a tour of the newly renovated arena. Another ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the ice for the Shawn Walsh Center grand opening.
The first official game on the new soccer field will be on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m where the women’s soccer team will battle with Bryant in their second conference game. Although the track and field complex is not finished yet, construction will be completed in late October, and they will host their first event during the Spring 2026 outdoor track and field season. The first
competition in the newly renovated Shawn Walsh Hockey Center and Alfond Arena will be held on Friday, Oct. 10 where the women’s ice hockey team will host St. Anselm at 2 p.m, and the men will face Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
The Shawn Walsh center is now one of the premier home locker room and film room spaces in the Hockey East, containing the latest technology and new lighting. The lower level features spacious sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas along with a nutrition station, upgraded gym and new training equipment. The only renovated area the fans will see is the concourse entrance that holds a modern design, the Dexter Lounge and new points of sale for tickets and concessions that connect with the Bear Necessities fan store and branding of the history of Maine Hockey.
The women’s soccer team trained on the fresh field for the first time on Saturday. The pitch features new press boxes, LED lights, two scoreboards with built in speakers, a seating capacity for 525 fans and world class synthetic turf. This stadium will be transformative for the soccer program in recruiting and is earning the title of one of the finest venues in the Northeast. The back-to-back America East champions are finally getting what they deserve after ten long years of competing on a baseball field.
“We finally have something you can have a lot of pride with,” said Scott Atherley, the Women’s Soccer Head Coach. “It’s just like wow it’s finally here and the players can enjoy something that all of the people before them didn’t have, because they suffered. And that’s what’s really cool, that people coming forward will have that experience.”
These renovations and projects, which were possible because of New Balance and Harold Alfond funds, will strengthen and maintain athletic excellence in Maine’s only Division 1 program and strengthen the Orono community by providing top experiences for all fans.
