As football at Fenway Park "becomes a more annual occurrence," it is "certainly possible" that UMass could become a more regular playing partner at the ballpark, according to Mark Chiarelli of the Springfield REPUBLICAN. UMass hosts Maine on Saturday, one of three football games comprising the "Fenway Gridiron Series." Football returned to Fenway in '15, "snapping a 47-year hiatus, when Notre Dame faced Boston College." Fenway Sports Management "viewed the event as a success." FSM Managing Dir Mark Lev said that "coupled with a desire to turn the ballpark into more of a 'year-round entertainment destination,'" FSM "delved into possibilities to expand its football presence." FSM has also "inquired about the possibility of hosting a postseason game." Lev said, "We'd love to be a home for UMass football, for it to think of Fenway as an alternative home to Amherst, much like Gillette has served that role for them." Lev said that FSM is "optimistic about the feedback the organization has received in terms of fan interest." Chiarelli noted FSM has "left the door open for either Army or Navy to one day play a game at Fenway Park independent of the Army-Navy series" (MASSLIVE.com, 11/8). FSM VP/Special Events Fred Olsen said that the Red Sox "created several time frames for turning the ballpark into a football stadium, based on how long the Red Sox postseason run lasted." In Massachusetts, Matt Vautour reports the pitcher's mound, the infield and warning tracks were all "replaced with grass as the grounds crew put the finishing touches on the park Monday." The football field itself "stretches from one end zone near where home plate would normally be to the edges of the bullpens in right field." Because of the field’s "tight proximity to the stands along the first baseline, both teams will have their benches on the other sideline with their backs toward Fenway’s landmark left field wall" (DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, 11/9).
