MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College held a ribbon cutting ceremony the morning of Wednesday, June 12 at Rotary Park’s Firebird Field in Bullhead City, home of Mohave Community College Men’s and Women’s Soccer.
Numerous elected officials, business owners and community partners were in attendance Wednesday morning as the crowd gathered to see the official unveiling of Firebird Field, which is set to be renamed thanks to the efforts of the Bighorn Booster Club. The Bighorn Booster Club will be reaching out to community partners and business in the near future with respect to naming rights.
The field will be the home venue for both Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams, with both inaugural seasons beginning in August 2024. The past year of work on the field has seen the incorporation of a new sound system, dugouts for players, a wall around the stadium and much more.
“A lot of people spent a lot of time on this field helping provide labor, funds and everything else it took to build this field,” said MCC President Dr. Stacy Klippenstein. “We all know it takes a village to do this type of work. We all know this will greatly benefit more than 50 student athletes starting in August, and we can’t wait until the very first match.”
Dr. Klippenstein expressed his gratitude to the multiple groups and partnerships that made the project possible, such as the MCC Booster Club, Bullhead City and the BHHS Legacy Foundation. Legacy Foundation Chairman Daniel Oehler also presented MCC with a $300,000 check at the ribbon cutting.
“What a great opportunity we are together providing our youth in the community but also players coming from far places that will join this community, and help it grow and become even better,” said Athletic Director and Men’s Head Coach Camilo Valencia. “Thank you for this opportunity you’ve given both Women’s Head Coach Robert Podeyn and myself to lead this program and make you proud as our players take the field and fight together for Mohave County.”
The first pre-season match on the newly-unveiled field will take place on Aug. 7, when the men’s squad hosts Rio FC. The first at-home, regular-season matchup for both squads will take place Friday, Aug. 30.
Dr. Klippenstein also led the crowd in the first-ever Bighorn cheer at the field, “Let’s go Bighorns!”
The College is currently enrolling students for the fall semester which starts Aug. 19. New and returning students are encouraged to get started by visiting Mohave.edu/Admission.