Brother Martin High School broke ground Wednesday on a multimillion-dollar renovation of Farley Field, the on-campus complex that hosts Crusader baseball, soccer, football practice and track and field. The project, dubbed Building For Champions: Re-Envisioning Farley Field, is set to bring synthetic turf, new LED lighting, upgraded training areas and expanded spectator amenities to the Gentilly campus, with completion expected in fall 2027.
The Sept. 30 groundbreaking ceremony marked the formal start of construction on a project that has been in the works for months, according to crescentcitysports.com. The outlet reports the project will add synthetic turf, new LED field lighting, upgraded training areas, state-of-the-art locker rooms, dugouts and expanded spectator seating. Gibbs Construction is leading the work in partnership with Holly & Smith Architects, the same pairing that built the school's covered batting facility two years ago.
Brother Martin Athletic Director Mark Wisniewski told WGNO that the facility will be tremendous for Brother Martin students. Per Wisniewski, the new turf will also allow Crusader teams to get back on the field within about an hour after weather impacts a game, cutting down on the rainouts and delays that have long plagued outdoor practices and contests at the site.
What's Changing At Farley Field
The renovation will include new turf playing surfaces for baseball, football and soccer along with a 50-yard multipurpose practice field, the site notes in a separate report on the project. Additional improvements will include upgrades to the track and field training complex, new baseball dugouts, a renovated concession stand and press box, and expanded spectator seating, according to the same account.
Brother Martin's own capital campaign materials describe a similarly broad vision for the site. The school says state-of-the-art turf facilities will create a versatile space supporting football, soccer, baseball, track and field, lacrosse, rugby, band and NJROTC programs, according to brothermartin.com. The campaign page also points to spectator amenities including a modern press box and concession facilities as part of the plan.
A Field With A Decades-Long History
Farley Field has been central to Brother Martin athletics since the school purchased the parcel from the Farley Family between 1980 and 1983 for athletic and extracurricular programs, per crescentcitysports.com's report on the project's origins. The field currently serves as the home venue for Crusader baseball and soccer and as the primary practice facility for football and track and field, the outlet notes.
This is not the first time the school has invested in the site. The field underwent a renovation in 2011 as part of an earlier phase of the school's capital campaign, and the complex saw further improvements with the completion of a $1.26 million on-campus batting facility in time for the 2024 baseball season, according to neworleanscitybusiness.com. That covered facility spans 3,800 square feet with three 70-foot-long pitching and batting lanes that can be subdivided into six shorter lanes, allowing players to practice and train beyond daylight hours and during inclement weather, the outlet reported at the time. It, too, was designed by Holly & Smith Architects and built by Gibbs Construction.
Part Of A Broader Fundraising Push
The Farley Field work traces back to a comprehensive capital campaign Brother Martin initiated in 1994 under then-President Brother Ivy LeBlanc, according to the school's own account of its building history. That master plan outlined a $30 million comprehensive campaign covering endowment and program development needs alongside facility upgrades.
More recently, the school has leaned on targeted fundraising pushes tied directly to the Farley Field effort. A March 2026 Martin Madness campaign generated 309 gifts totaling $73,367, according to a campaign page hosted on givecampus.com, which had set a goal of 700 participating donors. With the groundbreaking now complete, Brother Martin students and coaches are looking ahead to a 2027 season on a rebuilt field designed to keep games, practices and training on schedule regardless of weather.
