The Works Field House - Memorial Sea~Hawks
- Dave Cottenie
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
The Works Field House
Memorial University of Newfoundland
17 Westerland Rd
St. John's, NL A1B 3R7
Year Opened: 2002
Capacity: 1,400
Sea~Hawks on the Coast
Memorial University of Newfoundland was established in 1825 and is the only university in Canada's final province. The school has over 19,000 students. Athletic teams at Memorial began playing other schools in the 1950’s and played their first basketball season in Atlantic University Sport (USports' eastern-most conference) in 1973. They were originally named the Memorial Beothuks, after the indigenous people of Newfoundland, but adopted the Sea~Hawks moniker in 1990. Basketball success in the AUS has been fleeting for the Sea~Hawks who have made it to the semi-finals on six occasions, but have never made it to the finals or competed for a National Championship.
Home for the Sea~Hawks is The Works Field House. Located on campus, The Works Field House acts as the practice and game venue for basketball and volleyball and also services track and field and a host of other recreation and training facilities. It is a unique facility and serves the university well.
Food & Beverage 3
There is a small snack bar-style concession behind the east side seating area. There is also a cafe-style seating area beside the concession. The menu includes pizza, hot dogs, chocolate, popcorn, candy, soda and Gatorade. For fans from out of the province, one of the unique flavours of Crush soda may be of interest. Pineapple and Birch Beer are very popular flavours in Newfoundland. Beer, wine and liquor is also surprisingly available at Sea~Hawks games.
Atmosphere 3
The Works Field House is a unique facility in USports and doubles as the indoor track and field facility for the Sea~Hawks, so it is an actual fieldhouse in the sense that it refers to a large indoor facility that supports outdoor activities. The exterior of the Field House is not unattractive. The rounded roof with green ends sits atop a brown brick and tan block exterior. The main entry at the southwest corner is two stories of green glass that allows plenty of natural light into the facility.
Upon entry, fans are met with a small box office window for ticket purchases, before heading upstairs to the main viewing area. The Field House contains a 200 metre track, from which everything in the building works around. An elevated, 360-degree walkway leads to a variety of recreation and training equipment. At the south end of the track is the basketball court. The other two thirds of the track are curtained off and contain other courts and recreation areas in the middle. The basketball court is south-north oriented with retractable seating on the east and west sides. The south end of the Field House has the main scoreboard as well as championship banners from other Memorial teams. The seating consists of 12 rows of padded, fold down seats. The top four rows of seating are molded, plastic benches. The best view is from the east side, which provides the proper view of the centre-court logo, and is where the majority of fans sit.
The gameday production at a Sea~hawks game is very simple. There are, surprisingly, no announcements for players who have scored in the game. At the game that was reviewed, the PA announcer began to announce scoring, but stopped very early in the first half. There are no real promos at the game. There is definitely a community feel in the stands and it is a bit of a throwback as kids would play on the court during halftime, a practice that was popular in other USports basketball venues but has all but been eliminated.
Neighbourhood 4
The Works Field House is located on the campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland in the University Area neighbourhood of St. John’s. St. John’s is a city of over 110,000 people and is the biggest city and capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. There are a few spots for pre and post-game food and drinks that are not too far away. The Bigs Ultimate Sports Grill, Pops Diner, The Pantry Cafe and Guv’nor Inn and Pub are some options. Heading to Downtown St. John’s will give fans a ton of original options and has the Newfoundland feel to it.
The Newfoundland Regiment of the QMJHL is new to the city in 2025 and is the other main sports option. St. John’s is a terrific tourist destination, especially early in the season. Some other tourist options include Signal Hill, Jelly Bean Row, The Rooms and Johnson Geo Centre. The Mile One memorial for Canadian hero Terry Fox is a must see when in St. John’s as well. For fans looking to stay in the area, heading downtown to the Delta or Hilton are good spots to stay.
Fans 3
Assessing fans for USports basketball is very difficult as the teams and league do not publish attendance figures. All games are doubleheaders with the women’s teams so that may have something to do with the lack of attendance figures. Memorial Sea~Hawks games appear to be well attended. The game that was reviewed saw a healthy number of fans populating the east side stands. Sea~Hawks fans are pretty quiet and reserved throughout the game and do not get terribly excited about much.
Access 5
The Works Field House is located on the campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland in the University Area neighbourhood of St. John’s. It is on the east side of Westerland Road, between Prince Philip Drive and Elizabeth Avenue. Getting to campus is not very difficult. It is 1.5 km south of the Trans Canada Highway and 2 km west of Downtown. There is plenty of free parking on site, at the south end of the Field House. For fans interested in public transit, there are buses that enter campus and travel Westerland Road. Fans should consult the Metrobus website for fares, schedules and maps. With the Field House being so spacious, it is not difficult getting around the facility. The washroom facilities are adequate for the facility.
Return on Investment 5
USports basketball is very affordable and Memorial Sea~Hawks offer some of the cheapest tickets in the league. Tickets for the Sea~Hawks are doubleheaders with both the women’s and men’s teams and go for $8 per person. The concession prices are good and the parking is free. This all adds up to a very affordable evening with some quality basketball on the court.
Extras 1
An extra mark for the perseverance shown by Memorial University towards their basketball programs as the Sea~Hawks are the most remote team in the country.
Final Thoughts
Taking in a Memorial Sea~Hawks game while in St. John’s is a great way to add to a Newfoundland vacation. The Sea~Hawks provide a solid product on the court and are among the most affordable tickets in the country. It may not be the first idea a fan gets when heading to the east coast, but it should definitely be considered.
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