OKLAHOMA CITY (June 16, 2020) – Construction is underway on a building adjacent to the Eagle Soccer Field that will provide the Oklahoma Christian soccer teams with a base of operations just feet from where they play.

The building, which will be about 2,700 square feet, will include locker rooms for both the men's and women's teams, offices for coaches, storage areas and laundry facilities for both teams, a ticketing area and a concession area and public restrooms for those who attend OC home games.

The lead gift to fund the $600,000 project came from a former OC men's soccer player who prefers to remain anonymous, and two other donors also provided significant gifts. Mike Hancock, a local contractor who helped build OC's new cafeteria and the press box at Dobson Field in recent years, will lead the construction project. The teams hope to be able to move into the building sometime during the fall semester.

"This is a project which OC soccer has been dreaming about for a long time," OC women's coach Meagan Anderson said. "We are very excited and thrilled to have alumni invest into our student-athletes. We've longed for a place of our own and to have something right next to our field will be huge for our current and future players. We appreciate the work of design from so many on campus and cannot wait to be in it this fall!"

OC men's coach David Scott said the building will be at the southwest corner of the Eagle Soccer Field, near where the current public entrance to the field is now. A new entryway to the field will be tied into the design of the facility.

"It's something that we've needed for the entirety of the program, to have a home base and a place for players to call their own, a transition point from being a student to coming to the field and get your mind in the right place," Scott said. "We were slowly falling behind with a lot of things happening at other schools improving their facilities. This will help us tremendously."

OC first opened what now is known as the Eagle Soccer Field in 1986, when the university began its men's program. OC started a women's program with the 1993 season. In recent years, other improvements at the field have included team benches and shelters and fencing around the facility's perimeter.

Alan Phillips, OC's chief advancement and alumni relations officer, led the fundraising for the project.

"We've wanted to build something like this for our soccer programs for a long time," OC Athletic Director David Lynn said. "I want to thank Alan and his staff for their hard work in bringing this project to fruition."