Valley Fields is a 1,750-seat outdoor stadium and practice facility in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, primarily used by the varsity men's and women's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

teams at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

, all of which compete in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...

. The complex houses bleachers, locker rooms, practice fields and a main stadium.

Facilities

The complex opened in 1993 as soccer stadium, but renovations to the turf and the addition of locker rooms have taken place since. The complex is named for its location in the

Menomonee Valley The Menomonee Valley or Menomonee River Valley is a U-shaped land formation along the southern bend of the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, the neighborhood has historically ...

, which sits along the banks of the

Menomonee River :''See also Menominee River'' The Menomonee River is one of three primary rivers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with the Kinnickinnic River and Milwaukee River. Description Named after the Menomonee (also spelled Menominee) Indians, the word wa ...

in downtown Milwaukee, south of the main Marquette University campus and north of the

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, formerly Potawatomi Bingo Casino, is a Native American casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, owned and operated by the Forest County Potawatomi Community. It first opened its doors March 7, 1991. Located on Ca ...

complex. Adjacent to Valley Fields is Marquette's Shimek Track and Field Facility, which hosts the school's cross country and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

teams. In addition to use by

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

teams, Valley Fields hosts

intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...

and club competitions and is open to Marquette students for general outdoor recreation. The soccer stadium renovation was completed in March 2014, including new seating and a press box. In 2017, Marquette inaugurated a seasonal air-supported dome structure over the middle FieldTurf field for winter practices and sports. The $3.6 million structure was funded by a handful of anonymous donors along with an athletic department surplus built up over several years. The dome will be used by Marquette varsity lacrosse, soccer, golf and track teams in addition to intramural and club sports.

Future Use

In 2022, Marquette sold land northeast of the

Marquette Interchange The Marquette Interchange is a major freeway interchange in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, located near Marquette University where Interstate 43 (I-43, North–South Freeway), I-94 (North–South Freeway and East–West Freeway), and I-794 (Lake ...

to developers intending to construct an 8,000-seat soccer stadium as part of a larger sports, entertainment and housing development. As part of the deal, Marquette's soccer and lacrosse teams are expected to play games at the new stadium, while still utilizing Valley Fields as a practice facility.

References

{{coord, 43, 2, 23, N, 87, 55, 35, W, type:landmark, display=title Marquette University Sports venues in Milwaukee