Bethlehem Area School District Stadium
Encyclopedia
Bethlehem Area School District Stadium or BASD Stadium for short, is a multi-purpose stadium
for both Freedom High School
and Liberty High School
. The stadium seats up to 13,600 and can occupy up to 15,000 in the standing section. It is one of the premiere multi-purpose stadiums in Pennsylvania. Freedom and Liberty High Schools play their home football
, soccer, and field hockey
games here. The stadium was renovated in 2005 when Field Turf was added thanks in part to the generosity of Frank Banko. The field was renamed after 2005 to Frank Banko Field at BASD Stadiuim. The field is also rented by Bethlehem Catholic High School for their use.
as part of a New Deal
program. The steel for the stadium bleachers was donated by Bethlehem Steel
.
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
for both Freedom High School
Freedom High School (Pennsylvania)
Freedom High School is a public high school, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Freedom is one of two public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District. It is located at 3149 Chester Avenue, Bethlehem Township.The total...
and Liberty High School
Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
For schools with similar names, see Liberty High School.Liberty High School is a public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
. The stadium seats up to 13,600 and can occupy up to 15,000 in the standing section. It is one of the premiere multi-purpose stadiums in Pennsylvania. Freedom and Liberty High Schools play their home football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer, and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
games here. The stadium was renovated in 2005 when Field Turf was added thanks in part to the generosity of Frank Banko. The field was renamed after 2005 to Frank Banko Field at BASD Stadiuim. The field is also rented by Bethlehem Catholic High School for their use.
History
The BASD Stadium was constructed in 1941 by the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
as part of a New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
program. The steel for the stadium bleachers was donated by Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
.