UMaine will build soccer, track complex with $7M gift from New Balance

Courtesy / University of Maine A rendering shows the planned University of Maine complex that will accommodate soccer as well as track and field.

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By William Hall

With a $7 million contribution from New Balance Athletics, the University of Maine plans to build an Orono sports complex dedicated to soccer and to track and field.

The complex will feature a state-of-the-art soccer turf field and stands, next to a modernized track and some new spaces for field competition, according to a news release Friday from the school and the University of Maine Foundation.

Also located inside the track will be a multipurpose area to provide additional support for athletics and community events.

This is the second major gift made by New Balance to UMaine's athletics. The company donated $5 million in 2011, and those funds helped pay for renovations to the New Balance Field House and for the development of the New Balance Student Recreation and Fitness Center.

Along with the gift announced Friday, New Balance and the University of Maine will partner in the creation of a "Future Scholars" endowed scholarship in the amount of $2,500 annually. The scholarship will be awarded each year to a graduate of Skowhegan Area High Schoo who plans to attend one of seven universities within the University of Maine System.

The contributions are part of a fundraising campaign by the University of Maine System, complementing a $240 million commitment made in 2020 to the public university network by the Harold Alfond Foundation.

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, owns and operates sports footwear factories in Norridgewock, Norway and Skowhegan. The company employs 8,000 people worldwide and in 2022 reported sales of $5.3 billion.

"We appreciate New Balance's generosity and their confidence in UMaine's Division I athletic program," says Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias.

"We also share a commitment to prioritizing accessibility, equity, and community use and involvement at the highest levels with this new complex. Generous gifts like this one from New Balance help support infrastructure and create modern facilities necessary to serve students and the state and we are grateful."

New Balance President and CEO Joe Preston said, "On behalf of our Maine associates, we are thrilled to support the University of Maine through this new, world-class sports complex that will benefit campus athletes as well as community and youth organizations for training and competition.

"This exciting initiative builds on the success of New Balance's strong, historic alliance with the University, and reflects our focus on advancing public/private partnerships that benefit our valued communities."