The construction crews are gone, the scaffolding is down and the wait is finally over for the state-of-the-art McCaskill Soccer Center at Fetzer Field.

The new McCaskill Soccer Center on the University of North Carolina campus was dedicated on the morning of Sunday, April 11, 1999.

"I really think this completes our wonderful facility here," men's head coach Elmar Bolowich said. "We've had a great stadium, and now we've got a great facility to go along with it. This will benefit the program in the years to come."

The facility has already begun to pay dividends. UNC went 6-3 at Fetzer Field in 1999 against one of the nation's toughest schedules and the Tar Heel coaching staff has brought in a stellar recruiting class for the 2000 season.

The 6,600-square-foot McCaskill Soccer Center, named after Norman and Carol McCaskill, is located adjacent to Fetzer Field on the UNC campus. Speakers at the dedication ceremony included UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour, Educational Foundation President Moyer Smith, Bolowich, Head Women's Soccer Coach Anson Dorrance, Carmen Hooker, wife of UNC Chancellor Michael Hooker and members of the McCaskill family. The ceremony was followed by self-guided tours of the new facility.

"We were out here a month ago and went out to the middle of the field and reflected on how beautiful the building is," Carol McCaskill recalled at the ceremony. "It looks like it's always been sitting here as part of the decor."

The dedication ceremony was open only to invited guests. However, the general public was invited to attend the exhibition matches that were played following the ceremonies on Fetzer Field. The Tar Heel women played Nebraska at 1 p.m. and the UNC men hosted Radford at 3 p.m. The men's team defeated Radford, 5-0.

"I think this building is a reflection of how much our alumni care about soccer at North Carolina," Dorrance said. "We have a rabid following, and I think our fans will love this building."

The new facility is a two-story structure, which houses locker rooms for the varsity men's and women's soccer teams as well as a team meeting room on the first floor. The second floor houses offices for both sports as well as a large conference room which can be used by all of the Tar Heels' Olympic sports team.

The building was designed by NBBJ Architects of Research Triangle Park and was constructed by Resolute Building Company of Chapel Hill. Total costs of the project were $1.8 million.