Almost two years ago, the University of California Berkeley told its women's field hockey team they would lose their practice and game facility because the school was building a new parking garage in the space.
The team was told a new field would be ready by the spring of 2015, but construction didn't begin on the new field until May. It was estimated after construction began that the field would be ready by August 21, but due to a construction delay, the field may not be done until September or October. The team will no longer be able to hold their season opener, which was set for August 28, in Berkeley.
"The field was supposed to be ready by August 21, and we were informed last Monday that there is a construction delay and it will not be ready in time for that date or in time for our opening weekend," said Kristen Lee, a senior member of the team. "They haven't given us a new date, but it seems like we could now still be without a field until well into September, possibly October."
Instead, the team will have to travel over an hour to play on the fields of Stanford University and the University of California, Davis.
A spokesman for the school's athletic department said the school is working to expedite the "complex construction process," but the construction team "recently discovered a construction issue that is going to disrupt the expedited timetable." He didn't elaborate on what the issue is.
The team has not ruled out potential legal action accusing the university of Title IX violations because the men's sports teams have not been similarly displaced. However, the university said it is doing everything it can to get the players a field as soon as possible.
"This will not deter our efforts to complete this project for our team," the athletics department said in a statement, referring to the construction complications. "We will continue to work through this unfortunate setback with all partners involved to ensure a first-class field is produced for our deserving student-athletes."
FROM AB: Title IX Cases Warn Administrators to Address Facilities Disparities
