DE Turf lands tournament, announces experts to oversee sports programs

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DE Turf.

The DE Turf Sports Complex announced Wednesday the signing of  its first major tournament as work continues on the site in Kent County.

College Connection’s Shooting Star Field Hockey Tournament Showcase will take to the fields Easter Weekend 2017.

A similar event in Virginia last year brought in more than 150 teams (each of up to 20 players) and more than 175 college coaches.

“Shooting Star will bring to Delaware hundreds of visitors, who will spend money at hotels, restaurants and nearby attractions,” said Chris Giacomucci, executive director of DE Turf. “The showcase is just the first of many events the complex will host. Since breaking ground in May, dozens of tournament organizers have contacted us about having their competitions here. DE Turf, as an economic engine, is certainly starting to get revved up.”

A release said good summer construction weather helped complete work on half of the facility’s fields  while starting on the second half of the complex.

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When  finished this spring, DE Turf will have 12 synthetic fields on an 84-acre, state-of-the-art site.

DE Turf  will be able to host a variety of sports with a specific focus on field hockey, soccer and lacrosse.

Also on Wednesday Giacomucci introduced three experts – one for each sport – who will oversee the strategic planning, development and execution of each sport’s programming at the complex.

  • Three-time Olympian Rachel Dawson will serve as the Director of Field Hockey. She recently played for the U.S. Field Hockey Team at the Rio Olympics and has also played in more than a dozen other tournaments around the world.
  • Joe Brown has been named Director of Soccer. He brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to DE Turf. Brown currently serves as head of the women’s soccer program at Padua Academy. He was previously a coach with the Delaware Wizards and has trained more than 50 professional players now playing for clubs in the MLS (Major League Soccer) .
  • Former Major League Lacrosse player Jay Motta will be Director of Lacrosse. Motta played varsity lacrosse at the University of Delaware. He led the team to the America East Conference titles in 1999 and 2000 and to the NCAA quarterfinal in 1999. In addition to his professional career, Motta has served on the University of Delaware Men’s Lacrosse coaching staff and co-founded Pro Lacrosse, LLC.

The complex,  located along  Route 1  south of Dover and just  south of  Frederica, will feature lighted fields, an indoor multi-purpose room, concessions and ample parking.

DE Turf  also have a championship stadium with seating for 700 people. The stadium is scheduled to be  completed  this winter.

The new facility, designed by Becker Morgan Group and  constructed by Richard Y. Johnson & Son, is expected to pump $18 million into the local economy annually.

Work on the project began this year. Business leaders and Kent County officials proposed the idea back in 2008.

The complex is expected to aid the county’s economy after the downturn in attendance during the area’s two NASCAR weekends.

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