The new Intramural and Clubs Sports Complex at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will be open for play this fall semester.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29, at the complex, located at 1101 Fifth Ave. South. The fields will be the new home for the university’s intramural outdoor sports and club sports. It can be reserved by UAB groups and organizations when available.
The complex is a joint project between UAB Student Affairs and Campus Recreation through the UAB Facilities Division. Campus Recreation will oversee the fields, as well as program and schedule them. The space includes two full-size competition fields, two digital scoreboards, access to water and campus Wi-Fi, and a utility building that includes two all-gender restrooms, a storage space for sports equipment, and a utility room for lights and power.
Immediately following the ribbon-cutting will be Campus Recreation’s annual Blazer Welcome event for students, Recstravaganza, at 6 p.m. This special event will be the first scheduled event on the space for the fall semester.
Building a quality green space in the middle of an urban campus is a great accomplishment for the university, says Director of Campus Recreation Sean Ries.
“These fields will allow us to offer more intramural sports and special event opportunities,” Ries said. “We will also be able to host club sport competitions and allow our students to take pride in showcasing our university to visiting club teams, which is so important for our recruitment and retention of club sport athletes. We are only just beginning our development of outdoor recreation opportunities for our students and the UAB community.”
Any current UAB student, faculty or staff member is eligible to register for an intramural sports league or tournament. Sports that will be offered on the new field space will include flag football, outdoor soccer, kickball, softball and ultimate frisbee. Seven of UAB’s 22 active club sports will be able to utilize the field space for team practices and weekend tournaments and competitions. These club sports include co-ed soccer, cricket, KIFA, men’s lacrosse, rugby, and men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee. All other club sports may reserve the space for other types of special events. It can be reserved by UAB groups and organizations when available.