Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium at the University of Delaware
Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium at the University of Delaware
Grant Stadium at the University of Delaware
The Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium at the University of Delaware, home to the Blue Hens’ soccer and track teams, features a field for soccer, a quarter-mile all-weather track and a seating capacity of 1,400.
The stadium was renamed from Delaware Mini Stadium in recognition of the Grants, who provided a $1.5 million commitment in 2014 to support renovations to the facility. At the time, the gift was the largest single donation made by an individual or couple to be allocated in support of a UD Athletics facility project.
I Could Do Great Things Foundation founder Stuart Grant has always been a voracious soccer fan. Grant has not only played and coached the sport personally but has refereed games around the world including the 1982 and 1983 NCAA women’s soccer championship tournaments. Stuart and Suzanne Grant were motivated to help renovate the stadium by their appreciation and admiration for the University of Delaware’s men’s soccer head coach Ian Hennessey. Grant praised Hennessey for his accolades and unique experience that he brings to the field, “how many schools can say they have a coach who has earned a doctorate in molecular biology from an Ivy League institution?”
The Grants’ passion for athletics and soccer is what provided them with inspiration about what renovations to the existing stadium could help accomplish, including recruitment efforts by the soccer and track programs and promotion of the programs to the public.
University of Delaware President Patrick Harker commented about Grant Stadium, “I am so grateful for the Grants’ historic gift. Their enthusiasm for UD is evident, in all they do. From cheering on our athletic teams, to serving on the Board of Trustees, to financially supporting a wide range of campus needs and priorities, Stuart and Suzanne have been resolute in their commitment to our University . . . they join a select group of supporters whose dedication and generosity to Blue Hen Athletics is forever linked to the UD facility that bears their names.”
Event Calendar for the Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium at UD
The Stuart and Suzanne Grant Soccer Scholarship at UD
Recipient of the Grants’ soccer athletic scholarship, Rex Twum, is a native of Ghana and forward on the University of Delaware’s soccer team. Rex will earn a Bachelor of Arts in History upon graduation in Fall 2021. He has also spent time at UD studying sociology and has really enjoyed his theatre class outside of his main area of study. Upon graduation, he hopes to be able to play professional soccer, and then hopes to secure a job in the US using his history degree. He indicated he was drawn to study at UD and loves the school because of the academics, the beautiful facilities at UD, and the people he has met during his time here!
