For the next several days, Stockton University will serve as a home away from home for Haiti’s national soccer team as it prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in more than five decades.
The team arrived on campus June 9 and held its first practice at G. Larry James Stadium before a crowd of approximately 500 fans, youth soccer players and members of the local Haitian community during a special community day event.
Haiti, known as Les Grenadiers, qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 52 years and is using Stockton University as its official Team Base Camp during the group stage of the tournament. Because of ongoing gang violence and instability in Haiti, the national team has not played a home match in the country for several years.
Stockton officials said the university is honored to host the team and provide facilities that allow players to train and prepare at the highest level.
“Our job as the Team Base Camp is to provide a home away from home and create an environment for Haiti to flourish while competing in the World Cup,” said Jeff Haines, Stockton’s associate director of athletics and recreation and director of the Team Base Camp program.
Haiti will practice at Stockton between its group-stage matches against Scotland on June 13 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta. The team is expected to remain on campus through June 22.
The June 9 practice offered fans a rare opportunity to watch a World Cup team prepare for international competition. Players spent nearly two hours running drills and participating in an intersquad scrimmage, drawing cheers from the crowd throughout the session.
Many supporters wore Haiti’s national colors and gathered along the sidelines to welcome the team. The practice was held on Stockton’s recently installed Kentucky bluegrass playing surface, the same type of field used at Philadelphia Stadium, where Haiti will face Brazil later this month.
Haiti head coach Sebastien Migne praised the university’s facilities and hospitality.
“Everything is perfect,” Migne said. “We are happy for our players, and the welcome from the university has been amazing.”
In addition to the stadium, the team has access to Stockton’s Sports Center for meetings, physical therapy sessions, locker rooms and training activities.
The visit also carries local significance for defender Markhus “Duke” Lacroix, who grew up in New Egypt, Ocean County, and spent part of his soccer career in South Jersey. Lacroix played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania and competed for the Ocean City Nor’easters during the summers of 2012 and 2013.
“On a personal note, I’m really happy to be back in New Jersey,” Lacroix said. “I remember coming here to events as a young aspiring soccer player, so to be back here in front of all of you is special.”
For 20-year-old defender Keeto Thermocy, the youngest member of the Haitian squad, the community support left a strong impression. Thermocy, who plays professionally in Switzerland, said hearing encouragement from local youth players and families added energy to the training session.
Stockton President Joe Bertolino said being selected as a Team Base Camp reflects the quality of the university’s athletic facilities and the dedication of those who helped prepare for the team’s arrival.
“It affirms the strength of our athletic facilities, the beauty of our campus and the dedication of our people,” Bertolino said. “It is a moment of pride for Stockton, for South Jersey and for everyone who believes in the power of sports to bring people together.”
Stockton has a history of hosting international teams preparing for major competitions. Over the years, national teams from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and the United States have trained at the university’s athletic facilities.
Now, as Haiti prepares to compete on soccer’s biggest stage, Stockton has become an important part of the team’s World Cup journey, providing a temporary home and enthusiastic community support during a historic moment for Haitian soccer.
