285 Babcock Street
Boston, Mass. 02215
DIRECTIONS | PARKING
Nickerson Field 100-Year Celebration (Sept. 2015)
Seating Capacity: 9,871 (3,546 chair back seats
| 6,325 bleacher seats)
Surface: GreenFields MX Trimension
Playing Dimensions: M/W Soccer (72 x 116 yards), Men's Lacrosse (59 x 116 yards), Women's Lacrosse (64 x 107 yards)
A historically rich stadium located in the heart of the Boston University community, Nickerson Field is currently home to to the Terrier men's and women's soccer as well as the men's and women's lacrosse teams.
Most recently upgraded in August of 2016 with a new 22.75 x 39.5 feet Daktronics 13 HD video board valued at more than half a million dollars, Nickerson Field is a 9,871 seat, FIFA-approved FieldTurf facility that has played host to the 2006 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament, the Terriers' 2008 NCAA men's soccer first-round victory over Fairleigh Dickinson and three NCAA women's soccer first round games, most recently in 2014.
It is a stadium rich in the tradition of Boston sports history. Once the home of the Boston Braves National League baseball club and the site where Babe Ruth signed his last professional contract, it was purchased by the University on July 29, 1953.
The site, on Harry Agganis Way just north of busy Commonwealth Avenue, has undergone sweeping modifications over the last 50 years. The stadium owes its present layout largely to the birth of the Boston Patriots of the infant American Football League. Orphans before they played their first game, the Patriots joined with the University and completely reconstructed the stadium at a cost of over $300,000.
Additional seating and lights were obtained, new sod put down and a modern press box added. The Patriots, here for three seasons, played the first American Football League game in history on Friday night, September 9, 1960 against the Denver Broncos.
Nickerson Field was also the site of another first in professional football in 1983, as the Boston Breakers played their home games here during the initial season of the United States Football League. Other sports franchises that have called Nickerson home include the Boston Breakers of the WUSA from 2001-03 and the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse from 2004-06.
Originally providing a grass surface for the Boston Braves, Nickerson Field was one of the first collegiate facilities in 1968 to utilize Astroturf and then in 2001 had the distinction of becoming the first FIFA-certified field in the world with a modern infill-artificial turf. Fourteen years later, BU made the next advancement by changing the existing synthetic turf with GreenFields MX Trimension, utilizing a patented weaving technology.
The product comprises several innovations to ensure that fibers will stand up straight, better replicating natural grass when it comes to playability at top-flight level. The woven turf allows better and natural control of the ball, allows a player to pivot easier and is a more consistent surface that resists compaction. GreenFields MX turf has no grain, giving it a beautifully natural appearance, both from the stands and on television.
After becoming just the second facility in the U.S. to utilize GreenFields MX Trimension, Nickerson Field underwent extensive testing to become one of 10 artificial fields in the U.S. to earn FIFA 2 Star certification. The honor is the highest one available around the world and is only given to fields that ensure the highest playing performance for professional-level soccer.
Other recent upgrades include renovations of the Kennel Club, which includes a team meeting room and a reception area that is utilized by family and friends before, during and after games. A throwing wall was also added next to the playing field to provide an extra practice space for the lacrosse teams, and in the summer of 2009, the University added a four-lane running track around the field.
