First Market Stadium
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| First Market Stadium | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | University of Richmond, VA 23173 |
| Opened | |
| Owner | University of Richmond |
| Operator | University of Richmond |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Former names | |
| Soccer/Track Complex | |
| Tenants | |
| Richmond Spiders (soccer, women's lacrosse, track & field) |
|
| Capacity | |
| 3,000+ | |
First Market Stadium is a 3,000+-seat multi-purpose stadium at the University of Richmond. It is currently home to the Richmond Spiders men's and women's soccer, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's track and field teams. Known for many years simply as the Soccer/Track Complex, the facility was renamed First Market Stadium in 2001 in recognition of a major gift from First Market Bank. In 2002, the stadium's track was completely rebuilt and named Fred Hardy Track in honor of the longtime Spider coach. The playing surface was upgraded to FieldTurf artificial turf in 2004.
[edit] Future Plans
The Spider football team has played its home games at University of Richmond Stadium, located approximately one mile from the campus, for over 75 years. As the stadium aged and demand grew for an on-campus facility, plans were proposed for expanding First Market Stadium in order to accommodate the football program. These plans are still under development, but they call for an expansion to approximately 9,000 seats and a projected opening date for football of 2009 or 2010. In excess of $20 million has been committed to the project by the university and donors. The facility is expected to continue to serve as the home of the soccer, lacrosse, and track and field programs along with the football program.
