A two-phased update of some New Trier High School athletic facilities is set to begin this summer following an anonymous $10 million donation to the school.
In April, the New Trier Educational Foundation announced the large donation, which will be used to replace the existing turf at the high school’s stadium in addition to other adjacent fields at the Northfield campus. Other aspects of the project include changing some grass fields to artificial turf and installing new bleachers on the visitor’s side at the stadium.
When all is finished, there will be five fields available for use, as opposed to the current three.
“The Northfield Campus serves as a central location for many of the District’s outdoor athletic practices and competitions,” Athletic Director Augie Fontanetta said in a statement. “By completing these renovations, we will improve the existing competition, practice and spectator facilities, creating a more welcoming, functional space for our student-athletes and families.”
The football, girls flag football, lacrosse, boys soccer and girls soccer teams, kinetic wellness classes, intramurals and local elementary schools that feed into New Trier are set to play on the new turf, Fontanetta added.
They will also be used for the girls field hockey team. That is an exciting prospect for team coach Brittany Romano.
“I think this is going to be a spark for the sport that our program will obviously benefit and grow and our players will be able to develop skills,” she said.
Romano believes the renovation may start a new chapter for local field hockey.
“I do think it will spark interest in our sport whether at New Trier or around us,” she said. “My hope is other teams will see it and decide to invest in their program and get this type of turf for their program.”
The entire project cost is approximately $14 million, with the anonymous donation covering $10 million and the rest coming from school capital funds earmarked for routine maintenance of the existing fields, Associate Superintendent Chris Johnson said.
He added the fields were on the administration’s long term facilities plan, with the makeover expedited by the donation.
Construction is set to begin this summer with a resurfacing of three existing fields, including the stadium where football is played. Two new fields are scheduled to be created in the summer of 2026, Johnson said.
The donors did not reveal their identity but were grateful for the opportunities New Trier provided their children, according to the statement.
