Phyllis Ocker Field is a 1,500 seat field hockey field on the main campus of the University of Michigan in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. The field is named after Phyllis Ocker, a former University of Michigan teacher, field hockey coach, and athletics administrator. The facility opened in 1995.

History

Michigan has played its home games at Phyllis Ocker Field since its construction in 1995. The field is named after Phyllis Ocker, a former University of Michigan teacher, field hockey coach, and athletics administrator. Between the end of the 2013 season and the start of the 2014 season, Ocker Field underwent substantial renovations that included the installation of a blue AstroTurf 12 playing surface and a permanent 1,500-seat grandstand, which tripled the stadium's capacity. These renovations also included the installation of floodlights, a video scoreboard, and a new 13,000 square-foot support building that provides for locker rooms, training facilities, coaches' offices, and meeting space as well as a press box and broadcasting booth. The support building was built on the footprint of the former South Ferry Sports Services Building, which had provided similar accommodations since its construction in 1997. A new spectator plaza that includes restrooms, concession facilities, and ticket and marketing booths was also constructed during the 2014 renovations. These renovations cost an estimated $13.5 million. Built partially on the site of Regents Field, the home of the Michigan football team between 1893 and 1905, Ocker Field was constructed in 1995 jointly with the Michigan Soccer Field. In 1997, the South Ferry Sports Services Building was constructed adjacent to the field, providing locker rooms, training facilities, and storage space for both the field hockey and women's soccer teams. In 2003, Ocker Field received a new playing surface, replacing the original turf with SRI Sports' AstroTurf 1200. The playing surface was upgraded at the cost of $500,000, a sum that was raised from donations from friends and alumni of the field hockey program. In 2017 Ocker Field received a new playing surface with the installation of a Poligras Platinum CoolPlus field. Between the 2003 and 2014 renovations, the stadium had a seating capacity of 500. Before the construction of Ocker Field, the Michigan field hockey team had played at four other venues on campus: Michigan Stadium (1973–75),

Ferry Field Ferry Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It opened in 1906 and was home to the Michigan Wolverines football team prior to the opening of Michigan Stadium in 1927. It had a capacity of 46,000. It is currently used as a tai ...

(1976–86), the Tartan Turf (1987–90), and Oosterbaan Fieldhouse (1991–94).

NCAA Championship

Michigan has hosted the

NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship The NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship is an American intercollegiate field hockey tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I national champion. The championship is contested ...

twice in program history, first in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and most recently in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

. They have also served as regional host for the NCAA first and second rounds on four occasions; in 2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, 2001, 2004 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, 2004, 2007 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, 2007, and 2017 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phyllis Ocker Field 1995 establishments in Michigan College field hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Ann Arbor, Michigan Sports venues completed in 1995 University of Michigan campus