On Jan. 21, the University officially opened Penner Field House, a 76,000-square-foot indoor turf facility named in recognition of a donation from the Penner Family Foundation, run by Carrie Penner P’22 P’24 P’26.5 and Greg Penner P’22 P’24 P’26.5.
The field house is open to student-athletes, members of the Brown community and local residents with Brown recreation memberships.
Plans for the turf facility were first announced in 2023 as part of an “athletics facility master plan,” according to Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Grace Calhoun ’92 P’26 P’26. But “it was really within the last two years that we did the fundraising, the architectural design and build,” she said in an interview with The Herald.
According to Ray Grant, deputy director of athletics and recreation, the facility will also help address the space shortage for recreational sports on campus, allowing an additional 500 students to participate in intramural sports. This spring, the athletics department is also adding four new intramural sports, including flag football and indoor soccer, Grant said in an interview with The Herald.
Next year, the number of students on intramural sports teams is expected to grow to over 1,000, Grant added.
The field house replaced Meister-Kavan Field, one of the University’s outdoor practice spaces, which was required to turn its stadium lights off by 10 p.m. to limit disruptions to the surrounding residential area.
The new field house will remain open until 11:30 pm.
The building was designed without windows on its south-facing side to ensure residents in the area are “not impacted by any type of commotion,” Grant said. “We’ve worked really hard to be good neighbors. It’s a building for everybody,” he added.
For many sports teams, the Penner Field House offers an alternative to outdoor practices during harsh weather conditions. Head Football Coach James Perry ’00 said that the building will enable his team to extend their training into the winter months.
“In the winter, it is next to impossible to throw a football and run routes or cover people outside,” Perry said in an interview with The Herald.
James Murphy ’27, a quarterback on the varsity football team, added that the facility is well-used by the team, particularly because it allows athletes to practice in a comfortable environment amid inclement weather.
“Guys are going to be in there any opportunity they’ve got,” he said. “I can say that from experience. I know that guys have been in there late at night, early in the morning.
Murphy was initially worried about scheduling conflicts among Brown’s many sports teams that would want to use the space. But Brown Athletics has “offered a ton of open hours and times that (the field house) will be available,” he said.
Aila Gutierrez ’27, a member of Shiver, one of Brown’s ultimate frisbee teams, said that while the field can sometimes get busy, her club team has not run into difficulties sharing the space with varsity teams.
Gutierrez said the facility will help prevent injuries caused by harsh weather conditions. “We’re playing with our hands, so injuries are more susceptible when it’s cold outside,” she added.
Head Coach of Women’s Rugby Rosalind Chou said that she “couldn’t be happier” that the new facility allowed her team to train without interruption following the Jan. 25 snowstorm.
Chou described Penner Field House as the University’s “most advanced” facility. “I just want all of the Brown community … to be able to use it.”
The Athletics Department hosted an open house on Tuesday to introduce community members to the facility.
“We’re really hopeful students will come over and check it out and try to join in on the programs,” she said. “Knowing this is not only a chance to get physical activity and be healthy, but be part of a team — be a community,” she said.
