Gamecocks soccer unveils new complex

Mark Berson shook his head. His program is finally self-contained.

“I started in March of ’78. We kicked off Sept. 1. We didn’t have an established field, we didn’t have a schedule, we didn’t have uniforms or equipment and we didn’t have any players,” he said as he gazed around the new $3.175 million Gamecock Soccer Complex that held an open house on Tuesday. “To say that it’s come a long way is an understatement.”

Berson, about to begin his 39^th season at South Carolina, recalled all the places his team was shuttled since he arrived. There was no stadium, just a field, with a practice field across Marion Street where the old indoor football facility now stands. The indoor facility housed the soccer locker rooms as well, making players cross the street to practice and play.

That wasn’t a huge deal, and the facilities soccer used were great. They were just all over campus.

“They would go to baseball for treatment, they’d go to (Williams-Brice) to lift, so consequently, it was not as efficient for them,” Berson said. “Now our strength coach has his office right here in the building, we can come right off the practice field and lift and we’re the closest to the Dodie for study hall and training table.”

At the corner of Marion and Heyward streets, beside the House of Peace Cemetery that gave Stone its nickname (“The Graveyard”), the building has adequate space for each soccer team. Lounges, study rooms, a private weight room and video facilities cover the 11,000-square foot area.

Quite a stretch from 1978, when Berson and his team unloaded the truck packed with the field’s first bleachers.

“Mike McGee came and after we went to the Final Four, he enhanced the stadium,” Berson said. “Coach (Ray) Tanner, I can’t thank him enough and the Board of Trustees and the athletic administration for giving us the go-ahead to put this building in place, because it’s really one of the final pieces.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Gamecocks soccer unveils new complex."