Potential Soccer Stadium | Portland peninsula

Was there even a need to necessarily tie it back to state symbolism? Sometimes people take that stuff too far... not a fan of the name. Hearts of Soft Wood.

"Go Hearts of Pine. WOO" hmmm.

"Go Big Wood! WOO"

"Go HOP! WOO"

I dunno.
 
From the US League One website, they’re drawing a connection to globally recognized teams — they did their research:
The Hearts nickname also draws upon global soccer traditions, as it is shared by esteemed clubs such as Scotland's Heart of Midlothian FC and Ghana's Accra Hearts of Oak SC.

The club motto is ‘Lead with Your Heart,’ putting a new spin on Maine's motto ‘Dirigo,’meaning ‘I Lead’ in Latin. "Leading with your heart is what drove the founding of this club,”
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Yes, but the U.S. is a vastly different culture than anywhere else in the world. But I can see the new name working, or well enough. The mascot thing will be interesting. Will there be one? Does there need to be one? It doesn't have to be literal, a running jumping gesturing pine tree firing the T-shirt gun into the stands. I'm so glad it's not going to be something silly, like a puffin or a lobster. The most important design in all of this will be the forming of a community feel with food and drink. That's where the real revenue enters into the picture. I'd say a large, covered elevated beer garden with views of the field would be smart. And then another with tables for families, like Hancock has. Both have to be elevated to see the action properly.
 
I could see 'Hearts of the Sea' or 'Hearts of the Forest' or even 'Hearts of Maine' working. As nomc noted above, pine is a soft wood. It doesn't exactly invoke images strength. I guess pine is strong when you put a lot of it together and/or laminate it.

Hearts of Laminated Pine

There, that works. 😂
 
I am hoping Fitzy will be able to hold some UMaine soccer and football games once the renovation is completed. 10k is a decent-sized soccer venue, but curious how long this league will last.
 
Dr. StrangeHat said:
I could see 'Hearts of the Sea' or 'Hearts of the Forest' or even 'Hearts of Maine' working. As nomc noted above, pine is a soft wood. It doesn't exactly invoke images strength. I guess pine is strong when you put a lot of it together and/or laminate it.

Hearts of Laminated Pine

There, that works. 😂
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Hearts of Reclaimed Laminated Pine

It is 2024 after all
 
I was at the Sea Dogs game today, and while walking to and from my car, I saw some equipment in place at Fitzpatrick and signs of survey work going on. Not much yet (there was actually a game or practice going on on the field) but it appears that things are stirring.
 
markhb said:
I was at the Sea Dogs game today, and while walking to and from my car, I saw some equipment in place at Fitzpatrick and signs of survey work going on. Not much yet (there was actually a game or practice going on on the field) but it appears that things are stirring.
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I was there yesterday checking in on things! Running all the sewar, water, electrical for the locker rooms. Also met with the lighting guys trying to figure out when we can get those installed - likely this winter. Everything we are doing right now doesn't negatively impact facility use. We can keep it really roped off. ~ C
 
Redfern said:
I was there yesterday checking in on things! Running all the sewar, water, electrical for the locker rooms. Also met with the lighting guys trying to figure out when we can get those installed - likely this winter. Everything we are doing right now doesn't negatively impact facility use. We can keep it really roped off. ~ C
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I wondered if I had seen you, but I was hurrying to get to the game, and wouldn't have bothered you anyway. Glad it's on track!
 
So, there's an amendment to the agreement on Monday's Council agenda, because apparently USL League One rules don't allow the existing gridiron markings to remain on the field, so the Hearts of Pine will be replacing the turf and reimbursing the city for the labor to change the markings? The Amendment in the Council packet says it defines the League Rules, but it doesn't. What's the scoop?
 
I knew this was going to happen. They are beginning to gather to fight back. The only way the soccer stadium is going to work is to remove the traces of high school sports needs. It really has to be one or the other. Otherwise, doing this allows compromises of which always diminishes the experience. I had to do a job in Shreveport, LA two months ago. The city metro area is 150,000 less than Portland's and they have a football stadium (Independence) that seats 65,000! And when you factor in the Boston reach at only 106 miles away, we have over 5 million. Portland needs to stop tolerating provincial mindsets and understand that it can punch well above its weight. (I still think a *covered venue* of about 30,000 is the way to go. There is nothing else this big in all of New England. Some music acts will pass over Boston for that kind of seating revenue, and fans will drive 1-2 hours "way up north" to see their favorite act. Look at NYC. People think nothing of sitting on a claustrophobic poorly ventilated dirty train for 2-3 hours to see a game or act at MetLife Stadium. Build it and they will come. The city is growing. Soon people in Florida will move to Maine after they've said enough to the hurricanes and Maine's mean air temperature is 20 degrees higher than it is now. I'm thinking plan for the future here--2050.)

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10...vote-to-allow-changes-to-fitzpatrick-stadium/

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SWITCH TO ON TOP OF THE WATER PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS!! What an amazing venue that would be. Nobody thinks outside of the box in Portland. This “new stadium” is doing the bare minimum to make it into a USL stadium. It’s sad.
 
I went searching and could not find the USL League One rules online. I did find the FIFA Laws, and they specify that for artificial turf, it's okay to have other markings on the field so long as the soccer lines are a distinctive color. I wonder if the turf itself was not sufficient for pro standards, and the whole thing about the line painting is because either there's no time to order a field with markings and the center logo included, or (reasonably) the soccer team didn't want to / couldn't afford to pay for the permanently marked field and they couldn't reach the school department to work out a deal. The PPH article says they tried to reach the "former" AD and couldn't; I wonder if he was basically in "one foot out the door mode" for an extended period.
 
NR2Portland said:
SWITCH TO ON TOP OF THE WATER PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS!! What an amazing venue that would be. Nobody thinks outside of the box in Portland. This “new stadium” is doing the bare minimum to make it into a USL stadium. It’s sa
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Portland is a de facto suburb of Boston now. Maine's population is about 1.4 million (the vast majority in the south), and N.H. is also that with about 7,000 residents more than Maine. That's nearly 3 million people, and not including the Boston area. So, it is an easy drive to Portland for nearly 2 million people, and if including the top half of Boston's metro area (just over a one hour drive), it's nearly 5 million people! An indoor stadium of 32,000 is an ideal size now when factoring in music acts. The ends of the stadium can be opened up on nice days for a feeling of being outdoors (no seating on the ends, just F&D offerings). It is perhaps a $150 million dollar build if managed right and Redfern, the team's partner in this, is capable. What? $150 million is a crazy number for Maine? USM just built its new dorms and student center that was initially roughed out by one of the top arch firms in the world (Elkus Manfredi). The cost? $110 million. Where are the Alfonds? That family has $3.4 billion. This borrowed cost spread out over twenty years with sponsorships and revenue participation is doable. The best thing of all here is to know or think that one day there will be an important Pats playoff game in January with below zero temps and forty mph winds, and little 'ole Portland, Maine would be a relatively short drive up with a comfy new indoor venue to provide at least half the capacity. Add in the Allagash beer garden and lobster roll offerings that are being planned for Fitzpatrick, and oh yeah. And maybe up to 40,000 with standing room. It's not a crazy idea, if you think it all through. Portland, Maine would have an edge on concerts in New England for more than half the year. Taylor Swift was at Gillette this past summer and there was a massive T-storm during the concert. That was a miserable time for many, or some. Even her. She was drenched. And one of the most iconic boxing matches in history happened in Lewiston, Maine (Liston-Ali). I think Bostonians would be pissed off if we did this. That's half the fun with this idea.
 
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Image 11-17-22 at 6.23 PM.jpg

I'm guessing the 1930's, Interstate 295 added to the swath of land where the white house is in the lower center in the early 70's. Portland Public Library Archives
 
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I'll just say, in my experience, finding any photos that show the former grandstand at the ball field is a rare feat. Great job @Portlander!
 
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