EMAIL THIS PAGE

Reeves Field and Greenberg Track

Reeves Field

Reeves Field solidified its position as one of the premier soccer facilities in the Washington, D.C. area last fall, continuing its tradition as a dominating home site for American University soccer since 1949. Reeves Field earned the 2002 College Soccer Field of the Year, hosted its fifth NCAA Tournament game and served as the training site for the Uruguayan National Soccer team.

After being named Soccer Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association, Reeves played host to almost 2,000 fans on Nov. 23, 2002 as the Eagles downed George Washington University, 1-0, in the NCAA First Round.

Utilized as a soccer and lacrosse competition site, Reeves Field has gained notoriety throughout the collegiate and professional ranks as one of the finest fields in the nation. This past summer, FC Barcelona and Blackburn used Reeves Field as a training facility. In the summer of 2000, AU served as the practice site for Newcastle United, one of England’s premier professional soccer clubs. Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, Miami Fusion and San Jose Earthquakes have also practiced at AU. National teams from the USA, Bolivia and Portugal trained at Reeves in 1996 in preparation for Summer Olympic games held at RFK Stadium.

In 1997, the men’s soccer team hosted two thrilling first and second round games of the NCAA Tournament, as well as the CAA Championship game. In 1985, American’s home-field advantage catapulted the Eagles into the national spotlight following their victory in the NCAA Semifinals over Hartwick before 5,000 fans at Reeves. The win sent the Eagles to the NCAA Championship in Seattle, where AU would go on to fall, 1-0, to UCLA in the national championship match.

Reeves Field also features a six-lane track to accommodate the track and field programs at AU and creates a multi-purpose event site. The larger width from the track brought new conveniences to the site, such as a 200-ft. long retaining wall and bleachers that seat 700 for games.

During the summer of 1994, Hendrix and Dail, Inc., of Greenville, N.C., replaced the original Reeves Field playing surface with the exclusive Bermuda Bluegrass Sod found at all of the 1994 World Cup venues. The prescription turf was laid atop four inches of an 80 percent sand, 20 percent soil mixture, complete with laser leveling. A state-of-the-art drainage system runs beneath the surface with the capabilities of draining several inches or rain per hour, giving the AU athletic programs the ability to play under almost any amount of rain.

The exclusive soccer pitch conforms to both NCAA and international standards with a roomy 74 x 117 yd. playing surface.

Originally designed as a multi-purpose field to serve the entire university community, Reeves Field underwent its first major renovation in 1988, thanks to a $250,000 donation from Mrs. John Reeves. Included in that facelift was an automatic sprinkler system and a computer-operated soccer scoreboard to keep fans on top of the action.