New Jersey's Stockton University prepares to host soccer players ahead of FIFA Club World Cup
Some of the best soccer players in the world will soon arrive in New Jersey.
Lincoln Financial Field will host matches for the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in Philadelphia, but Stockton University has also been selected as a training site.
Focusing on straight lines and overlapping passes, the grounds team at the school in Galloway Township is mowing the soccer field with precision. Crews are working around the clock after FIFA announced CR Flamengo from Brazil will be the team spending roughly two weeks training in South Jersey.
"CR Flamengo is one of the most popular teams in the world with over 57 million followers," said Jeff Haines, the associate director of athletics and recreation at Stockton. "The university realizes how big of a deal this is, not just from a local soccer standpoint, but a global standpoint that puts Stockton on the map."
Fresh lines were painted on the soccer field on Tuesday, and FIFA shipped new goals ahead of the practice sessions.
The university's athletic director, Tony Berich, said representatives from Brazil visited the campus in December, and one of the selling points was the Bermuda grass inside G. Larry James Stadium.
"I don't know if we would have this opportunity if we didn't have this field, I don't think we would have even been considered," Berich said.
Stockton's field was grown at Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, the same farm working with FIFA and Lincoln Financial Field, so it will be a smooth transition for CR Flamengo.
All of the practices on Stockton's campus will be closed to the public. The university installed temporary fencing around the stadium to keep the players and the field more secure.
"We do have experience in hosting big events and soccer teams, this is another big exciting event that we're really looking forward to," Haines said.
In 1994, Stockton hosted Saudi Arabia's team ahead of the World Cup.
"We were also fortunate enough to host Nigeria in 1996 for their Olympic training camp as well. Nigeria went on to win the gold medal," Haines said.
Now, Stockton is preparing for CR Flamengo's arrival on June 12, and the team will train in Galloway Township through June 23. Officials say the field and facilities will be ready.
"This is the one chance that we have to be associated with … a worldwide event like this," Berich said.
