Cliff Moore Practice Facility

Hidden behind the spotlight of East Carolina's resurgence to a championship level may be the vital component of why there lies so much optimism about the future of Pirate football.

Away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the cameras and the pageantry of a fall Saturday in Greenville, exists a top-level workout facility which now will easily rank among the top in the nation.

The Cliff Moore Practice Facility underwent a remarkable and significant renovation project during the summer and early autumn of 2005, transforming the once dimly-lit and water-logged practice fields into an NFL-caliber workout area.

The refurbished facility now sports two regulation length natural Bermuda Tift grass game fields which run parallel in a north-south direction. A third field, which features a 78,120 square-foot Prestige XT Synthetic (i.e. FieldTurf) playing surface, lies perpendicular to the pair of natural grass grids and opened for use in October, 2005, thanks to a generous gift from Ron and Madelyn Hight.

The pair of natural grass fields were designed and modeled after the award-winning surface at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. In addition to an installation of a modern irrigation system, the facility also sports a gravel and sand-based drainage plan which is enhanced by a 1 degree grade from the crown to the sidelines.

Lighting for the facility features 10 standards which have a mounting height of 70 feet and display, on average, 50 foot-candles to all areas of each field.

The Cliff Moore Practice Facility is completely encircled by fencing and a black vinyl windscreen to ensure privacy.