General | 5/15/2015 2:37:00 PM

Friday, May 15, 2015

PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University President Dr. Steven Gamble has announced a groundbreaking ceremony for the new multi-purpose stadium, on Saturday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m. The facility will be used for Greyhound football, soccer, track & field.
 
"We at Eastern are happy to be breaking ground on our new multi-purpose stadium," said Gamble. "We have waited a long time to see the stadium relocate to an on-campus location.  ENMU is grateful to all our fans and friends who have supported the fund raising efforts and to our students who have supported this most of all."
 
The ceremony will take place outside the Greyhound football field house, located southeast on University Drive, just southwest of Greyhound Field baseball complex. Tours of the recently renovated football field house will be available following the event.
 
The new facility is scheduled to be completed in June 2016, just in time for the Greyhound football team to open play for the 2016 season. It will hold up to 5,000 spectators and the field will be made of UBU turf; the same surface which has been used for the last two Superbowls. The track will be similar to the one at the University of New Mexico.
 
The multi-purpose facility will also provide the ability to hold soccer games at night and home events for the track & field teams. It also will be utilized by the Greyhound Sound marching band, health & physical education department, and Portales High School.
 
Gamble will be present at the ceremony and will speak about the facility. New Mexico Senator Stuart Ingle, Athletic Director Dr. Jeff Geiser, president of the ENMU Foundation Steve Doerr, vice president of the ENMU board of regents Terry Othick, and the Portales Superintendent Johnny Cain will be among the other speakers at the event.
 
The plans for this project have a price tag of $15 million, and from students, community leaders, donors and others, $12 million of that has been committed. The groundbreaking ceremony is the kickoff to construction of the state of the art facility but the stadium campaign to raise additional funds for enhancements will continue through the end of 2015. For more information about the project or giving opportunities please visit, www.enmu.edu/stadiumcampaign.