Laidley Field
Encyclopedia
The University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field, is an 18,500-capacity stadium
located in downtown Charleston, West Virginia
, near the state Capitol complex. It features a FieldTurf
playing field for football
and facilities for track and field
competitions.
The stadium was finished in 1979, as a complete rebuild of a previous facility. It is owned by Kanawha County Schools
. In 2003, because the school board lacked funds to maintain the stadium, it entered into a joint venture with the private University of Charleston
. UC invested over $1.5 million to replace the turf, add locker rooms and a skybox, and make other improvements in exchange for access and naming rights.
The stadium is home to the University of Charleston Golden Eagles. Capital High School football and multiple middle school
and community teams also play at UC Stadium. It hosts the state high school track and field championships. The field has also played host to multiple high school playoff games as well as being host to the State Championships before their move to Wheeling in the 90's. The field will once again host the State Championships in 2012. It also hosts the Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival
at the end of September of each year.
Record attendance for this stadium was set at a local high school contest, Charleston High School vs. Stonewall High School in the latter part of the 1980s, later to be called "The Game" of the century. Record attendance was set at over 21,000. Later, when Capital High and Riverside High met when both were undefeated and ranked 1 and 2 in the state, there again were over 20,000 in attendance.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in downtown Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, near the state Capitol complex. It features a FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
playing field for 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...
and facilities for track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competitions.
The stadium was finished in 1979, as a complete rebuild of a previous facility. It is owned by Kanawha County Schools
Kanawha County Schools
Kanawha County Schools is the operating school district within Kanawha County, West Virginia. It is governed by the Kanawha County Board of Education.-Board of education:...
. In 2003, because the school board lacked funds to maintain the stadium, it entered into a joint venture with the private University of Charleston
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
. UC invested over $1.5 million to replace the turf, add locker rooms and a skybox, and make other improvements in exchange for access and naming rights.
The stadium is home to the University of Charleston Golden Eagles. Capital High School football and multiple middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and community teams also play at UC Stadium. It hosts the state high school track and field championships. The field has also played host to multiple high school playoff games as well as being host to the State Championships before their move to Wheeling in the 90's. The field will once again host the State Championships in 2012. It also hosts the Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival
Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival
The Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is an annual festival dedicated to high school bands and majorette corps in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The event is held at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia at the end of September of...
at the end of September of each year.
Record attendance for this stadium was set at a local high school contest, Charleston High School vs. Stonewall High School in the latter part of the 1980s, later to be called "The Game" of the century. Record attendance was set at over 21,000. Later, when Capital High and Riverside High met when both were undefeated and ranked 1 and 2 in the state, there again were over 20,000 in attendance.