Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.86
W.B. Mason StadiumBlessed Basil Moreau, DrNorth Easton, MA 02356
Year Opened: 2005
Capacity: 2,400
The Sky’s The Limit
Many who follow college sports in New England were surprised when tiny Stonehill College, a school with an undergraduate enrollment of 2,500 students, announced in April 2022 that they were elevating their athletic programs to the Division One level and becoming a member of the Northeast Conference. The private Catholic school is located in North Easton, Massachusetts, on the original estate of Frederick Lathrop Ames Jr. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross.
W.B. Mason Stadium, located on campus, was built in 2005. W.B. Mason, a business supply company headquartered in neighboring Brockton, purchased the naming rights for the facility. The company, led by CEO and Stonehill alumnus Leo Meehan, pitched in $1.5 million of the $4 million construction cost of the stadium.
The playing field is dedicated in honor of Tim “Cogs” Coughlin, a class of 1980 alumnus and member of the Stonehill football team, who lost his life in the attacks on the World Trade Center. In addition to serving as home to the Skyhawks football team, W.B. Mason also serves as home to Stonehill’s field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field teams.
Stonehill has sponsored football teams since 1988, using the nickname “Chieftains” until 2005. Stonehill football competed in Division Three until 1996, when they moved up to Division Two, staying there until 2021. The Skyhawks joined the Football Championship Subdivision’s Northeast Conference for the 2022 season. During their first two seasons in FCS, Stonehill has posted a respectable 10-11 record.
Food & Beverage 2
New Stonehill food service concessionaire Bon Appetite operates food tents located in the open area on the north side of the grandstand. A menu of standard stadium fare is offered here. Coca-Cola products are the featured beverage at W.B. Mason Stadium. In addition, Shovel Townbrewery operates a beer garden in the northwest corner of the facility. A good selection of their craft brews are featured here.
Atmosphere 2
The fine folks at Stonehill College are still kind of new to this Division One thing, so you wouldn’t expect an over-the-top game day presentation at a small facility such as W.B. Mason Stadium. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s a boring time at Stonehill. There are plenty of touches here that make a fall afternoon in North Easton a good time. One of the more surprising aspects of the game day experience at Stonehill is the very active tailgating scene. Fans arrive as early as 7 am in the lot adjacent to the McPhaidin Library and other open fields around the stadium to set up shop for the afternoon.
Fans who regularly attend college football games will find plenty that is familiar here. Music and PA announcements play over a quality sound system throughout the game. The Stonehill cheerleading and dance squads set up on the sideline, performing for the fans. The Skyhawk mascot, Ace, roams the stands, posing for photos and interacting with fans. A simple scoreboard in the north end zone provides basic game information.
Stonehill Cheerleaders, Photo by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Neighborhood 3
Stonehill College’s sprawling, contained campus belies its location in a bustling area with many dining and lodging options for visiting fans. State routes 123 and 138 intersect at the southwest corner of campus. Both routes are pretty busy local roads, lined with strip malls filled with the usual national chains alongside a few local eateries in both directions. Stadium Journey recommends checking out Stoneforge Grill, Shovel Town Brewery, or Brach’s Grill and Tap for your pre- or postgame meal.
While you may not find many attractions near Stonehill, Boston is located just a half hour’s drive to the north. Visiting fans will find no shortage of things to do there. Fans looking for lodging options closer to school should check out the Residence Inn by Marriott right by Route 24.
Fans looking for other sporting options in the immediate area may be able to pair a Skyhawks game with a New England Knockouts game at nearby Campanelli Stadium or may wish to return to campus and visit Merkert Gymnasium for a basketball game. The baseball team plays next door to W.B. Mason Stadium at Lou Gorman Field. Stonehill's hockey teams play off-campus at the nearby Bridgewater Ice Arena.
More information about local accommodations, restaurants, and attractions can be found here.
Fans 3
Even with W.B. Mason Stadium’s rather small capacity, the facility could fit the entire undergraduate enrollment inside. Looking through that lens makes Stonehill's average 2023 attendance of just over 1,800 fans per game pretty impressive. Every Saturday, W.B. Mason Stadium is filled to 75 percent of capacity. Stadium Journey's most recent visit to Stonehill occurred on a rainy September Saturday. Two thousand four hundred fans braved some lousy weather to witness the Seahawks' 2023 home opener.
There’s a decent, if not overwhelming, turnout by the student body. The majority of the fans in attendance appear to be locals, many of whom have a connection to the players down on the field. With the Northeast Conference’s compact geographic footprint, you’ll be sure to see a good number of visiting fans in the stands.
An interesting characteristic of a Stonehill crowd is that they are late arriving. Tailgating is allowed in the parking lot right across the street from the stadium right up until kickoff, and it seems that a good percentage of the fans in attendance keep the party going until the last possible minute. It’s pretty interesting to see the foot traffic increase along Blessed Basil Moreau Drive as kickoff time nears.
Access 4
Stonehill College is located in suburban North Easton, MA, directly to the west of the city of Brockton and 25 miles south of Boston. The campus is easily accessible, as both Interstates 495 and 93 lead to Route 24, which runs north-south just a mile from W.B. Mason Stadium. The stadium is located on the western edge of campus, adjacent to some of Stonehill’s other athletic facilities, including Lou Gorman Field and the Sally Blair Ames Athletic Complex.
Fans will find ample parking in the lot in front of the McPhaidin Library, located a short walk from the stadium. The entrance to W.B. Mason Stadium is located on the southeast corner of the facility, with the grandstand on the opposite west side of the stadium.
Seating consists of a single grandstand that runs the length of the field. The center sections contain individual molded plastic seats, with the rest of the seating consisting of metal bleachers without backs. This new grandstand is fully ADA-compliant and easily accessible for all fans. Fans looking for an alternate viewpoint can take advantage of the standing room along the southern edge of the field.
Unfortunately, the presence of a track surrounding the football field pushes the seats a bit further from the action. This is a common feature of the multi-purpose fields that are found at smaller schools. Restrooms are located in the Sally Blair Ames Athletic Complex, with additional port-a-johns available behind the grandstand.
Return on Investment 5
Tickets to Skyhawks games are sold as general admission, with tickets priced at $12. Seniors 65+ and students can purchase tickets for $7. Children 12 and under are admitted at no charge. Waiting until game day to buy your tickets increases the price by three dollars. Parking is free in the lot near the stadium. With inexpensive concessions, an afternoon at a Stonehill football game is a very affordable entertainment option for southeastern Massachusetts sports fans.
Extras 1
As the Stonehill program continues to adjust to life in Division One, the Athletic Department continues to upgrade the game day experience for fans. Some examples of upgrades to the football experience include a new sound system at W.B. Mason Stadium, new concessions, and the Shovel Town beer garden. More improvements are in the works.
Final Thoughts
W.B. Mason Stadium is a nice, smaller facility that compares well to its peer facilities in the Northeast Conference. While the fans and staff at Stonehill are adjusting to life in the FCS, they promise that bigger and better things are on the horizon, both on and off the field. The addition of Division One sports is a welcome addition to the southeastern Massachusetts athletic scene and a Stadium Journey well worth taking.
Comments