Huntington YMCA breaks ground on multi-sport turf field

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The Huntington YMCA broke ground on a multi-sport turf field.

The new field will be a full-size soccer field that can be divided into two fields, with markers for football and a unified lacrosse field.

Huntington YMCA Executive Director Brian Byrd said the project has been years in the making.

“It’s so exciting for me because we have been wanting to do this for years and years, and then we finally did the capital campaign and started raising money,” Byrd said. “We were going to build a gym, and then the soccer field became more important than the gym at this time. It’s just amazing for us to be able to move into the future with the turf fields.”

Byrd said the project costs about $2 million and was paid for by the Capital Campaign through community donations.

“It is awesome to have this community come together to do this project and do anything for the community. You know, we rely on the community to take care of the YMCA and we have the product that people want,” Byrd said.

Along with the field, bleachers, a concession stand, restrooms and an observation deck will also be added.

YMCA Youth Program Coordinator Darian Shackelford said the project means more than new turf for staff.

“I just want to say that when we think about this project here at the YMCA, us up here at this table, we don’t really think about only synthetic turf,” Shackelford said. “We see a kid learning how to have passion for a game, learning its love for the game. We see teams out here learning camaraderie and how to play together, coaches sharing their passion and knowledge on the game. We see families cheering from the sidelines and getting to spend time with each other. But I mainly see a community that is creating better opportunities for our future generations for the most part, which in my head is what the YMCA is mainly about.”

The YMCA said the hope is to have the surface done by mid-November and to hold its first official season on the new field in the spring.

Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.