Named after former Board of Trustees member & chairman William I Jacobs, the William I Jacobs Recreational Complex opened on September 3, 2005, when the American University Field Hockey team defeated Princeton University 4-1. The facility serves as the home to the varsity field hockey & women’s lacrosse programs, while also serving as the home of many club sports programs and intramural & recreational sport activities.
The Eagles' field hockey squad had spent several years practicing and playing their home games on the turf fields of the University of Maryland and Georgetown University. The field finally gave American University’s field hockey a place to call home, eliminating early morning practices and having to travel for home games. After years of playing on Reeves Field, American's women's lacrosse team also calls the complex home, completing its first full season on the turf in the spring of 2006.
During the summer of 2018, the facility underwent its first major renovation, which included:
Installation of a new state-of-the-art Astroturf® T-12 Synthetic Turf that is a surface of kitted nylon designed for uniformity, consistent footing, durability, and water absorption.
Remapped coloring and artwork, including in-laid white lines for field hockey, yellow lines for women’s lacrosse, and an American University blue outline.
Turf based softball diamond with white & brown markings for the bases, home plate, and pitcher’s mound, enlarging the space available for recreational sport activities even more.
New 6-foot high fence to surround the field with locking gates and a new 20-foot high netting system protecting videoboard and the sand volleyball courts from stray balls from the field.
Daktronics Video Board featuring LED video displays with in-game graphics content. The board, measuring 22-feet tall and 18-feet wide, includes a penalty time panel and space for sponsorship content.
A Popup watering system provides irrigation and keeps the field wet during matches and practice. The system, activated remotely, adds convenience to the ground and maintenance team
Scorers/Press area with a full complement of electronics support including wireless internet
Turfed Softball diamond and two outdoor sand volleyball courts for AU students and intramural programs
The field has played host to 30 Patriot League Tournament games, including 10 Patriot League Field Hockey or Women’s Lacrosse Championship games, as well as five NCAA Tournament matches for Field Hockey, where they are 5-0.
In addition, the field is regularly used as a training site by USA Field Hockey for their Futures Training Program each spring, and as a Regional Tournament site each May. Many local and regional field hockey programs use it as a training site each spring & summer due to the app-based watering system.
ABOUT WILLIAM I. JACOBS - William I Jacobs served on the AU Board of Trustees from 1988-2004 and served as chairman during his time on the Board of Trustees. Mr. Jacobs received a BS in Business Administration from American University and a Juris Doctor from American University Law School.